Dreams or Desire
by Emmi82
Summary: He's a Laker. She's a Laker Girl. Sounds like the perfect couple, right? Well they would be...if they were allowed to talk to each other. Troyella! New Summary!
1. Prologue

**Dreams or Desire?**

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is the prologue to my new story! It came to mind while watching Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making The Team. In no way am I stopping 'I Know What It's Like', as of right now that story is my number one priority. I can't tell you how often I will be updating, we will just have to see how easy or difficult it will be to write. With that said, if you have any ideas, feel free to PM me with them. Thanks so much, and I hope you like it!**

Tense. That was the only way to describe it. Seventy-five girls, all dressed to impress, nervously waiting for their names to be called. They had danced as hard they possibly could, had kicked as high as physically possible, smiled until their mouths hurt, and now they had arrived at their last test. The interview. It was their last chance to impress the judges before seventy-five turned into forty-five. So, it was safe to say that the heart of every girl was pounding through her chest or racing at a mile a minute.

"Gabriella Montez." The brunette snapped up to see the blonde secretary, standing by the door, who had just called her name. She took a deep breath before standing up. She nervously walked over to the office, and smoothed out her black wrap-around dress, before walking in.

"Hey." She smiled widely at the three judges that sat behind the table.

"Hi, Gabriella, take a seat." She nodded at the pretty red head, also known as Kelly, the director of the Laker Girls. On her left was Judy, the fitness instructor, and on the other side was Penny, the Assistant Director. "We decided that it would appropriate if your mother stepped out for your interview."

"I understand."

"Good. So out of all the young ladies that have auditioned, you clearly know what it takes to be a Laker Girl. My question to you is do you think you have what it takes?" Kelly asked.

"Yes, I do. I know how much of a commitment it is and how hard you need to work, and I promise I will give it 100 percent. I also know that I need to strive even more to prove that I am here because of me, and not because of the fact that my mom is the choreographer." The three judges smiled at her eloquent answer, before Penny spoke up to ask her another question.

"So if you were to make the squad and Troy Bolton asked you out, what would you say?"

"Well I know that it is against the rules to date or have any sort of relationship with any of the players, and I would want to represent the Laker Girls in a positive way, so I would say no."

A Few Hours Later

"Jordan Chapin." Everyone in the room applauded as a petite brunette got up out of her chair and excitedly ran over to the girls whose names had been called. Gabriella closed her eyes tightly, and prayed that Kelly would call her name next. "Sharpay Evans." Gabriella sighed sadly and opened her eyes to see a blonde squeal and run over to the group. "We have 5 names left." Gabriella looked around and tears began to well up in her eyes. Out of the thirty-five girls remaining, she recognized about 7 of them as veterans. Veterans were rarely cut. This was her dream. All she wanted was to follow in her mother's footsteps and that dream was about to be shattered.

"Gabriella Montez." Her head snapped up in shock, making eye contact with her mother, who nodded. She gasped, placing her hand over her mouth, as tears of joy began to stream down her face. As everyone applauded, she got up out of her chair, and made her way towards the group of the girls who had been chosen to attend training camp. However, unlike the rest of the girls, she stopped once she reached the judges, specifically her mother, who also had tears of joy in her eyes. They immediately hugged each other tightly.

"I'm so proud of you Gabi."

"Thank you Mami." They pulled away and Gabriella smiled widely as she joined the other girls. This was it. She was one step closer to being a Laker Girl. Still in shock, she didn't even hear the names of the final four girls. But before she knew it, a picture had been taken of all the training camp candidates, and all forty-five girls were making their way into a room filled with desks.

"Jesus, how many rules are there?" Gabriella turned to the blonde next to her, who was staring at the massive binder that rested on the desk, in shock. She laughed at her new friend's amazement.

"Yeah, there's a lot, but don't worry, according to my mom they aren't that bad." Sharpay just nodded, still in shock.

"Hello ladies." Both girls turned to the front of the room to see Kelly approach the podium. "First I want to say congratulations on making it to training camp!" She and all the girls applauded. "It will start next week, however, it is essential that we go over some things before it begins. So why don't we start off by doing some introductions, then we will get down to business." One by one the girls stood up and introduced themselves, saying their name, where they were from, and if they were a rookie or a veteran. Immediately after, Kelly had begun going over the rules. "Now the next rule is without a doubt the most important. You are under no circumstances to have any sort of relationship with any of the players, even if it is platonic. You should not even be talking to them. If we find out that this rule has been broken, there is a high chance you will be kicked off the team. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now, moving on…"

**Please Review!!!**


	2. A Dream Come True

**Dreams or Desire**

**A/N: So first off, I am changing Gabriella's age from 18 to 21. I thought it was the right thing to do considering there will be multiple scenes in clubs. Second, thank you so much for all the great reviews!**

Loud. Hot. Wild. Crazy. The only way to describe Hollywood's hottest club, Apple. Filled with everyone from 'LA Wannabes', also known as girls that came to Los Angeles from small middle of nowhere towns and who thought dressing like a slut and sleeping with a club owner would get them in the door, to LA rich kids who were underage but allowed to enter because of the title on Daddy's business card, to celebrities who were hiding out in the private VIP sections, and finally, a few relatively normal people who just wanted to go out and have fun. The three girls standing at the bar, who were currently taking shots, were definitely considered the latter.

"Ok! For Gabriella Montez, who is one step closer to becoming a Laker Girl. To dreams coming true!" Gabriella smiled and blushed at her best friend's toast.

"Thank you Tay." The three girls clinked their shot glasses together tossed back the vodka that filled them.

"Holy shit." Gabriella and Taylor laughed as Kelsi shook off the shot.

"That was pretty impressive." Taylor turned around and Kelsi and Gabriella looked to see a cute African-American boy with crazy hair.

"Thanks," Taylor smiled and Gabriella and Kelsi and gave each other a look.

"I'm Chad." He stuck out his hand and Taylor gladly took it.

"Taylor."

"Nice to meet you Taylor."

"You too. And these are my best friends Gabriella and Kelsi." Chad stretched his neck so he could look at Gabriella and Kelsi.

"Nice to meet you girls."

"You too," they replied in unison.

"So me and my friends have a table, would you like to join us?" Taylor turned back to Kelsi and Gabriella, as to ask 'should we?' Gabriella shrugged, as if saying 'might as well' and Taylor turned back to Chad.

"Sure."

"Great. Follow me." The girls smiled at each other as Chad turned around and Gabriella gave Taylor a suggestive look, which she laughed off. They followed their new 'friend' to the perimeter of the club, until they reached a booth, where four guys sat. Each guy had a drink in hand, all which obviously contained vodka, considering the massive bottle of Grey Goose on the table. Three boys turned as Chad approached the table, while the fourth who had his head down and had his cell phone up to his ear, with his other hand plugging his ear, obviously trying to block out the loud music, didn't move.

"Guys this is Taylor, Gabriella, and Kelsi," Chad introduced, pointing to each girl as he said their name. "And girls this is Zeke, Jason, and Brett." After exchanging pleasantries, the boy whom Chad had introduced as Zeke offered the girls a drink, and they immediately accepted. As they were pouring the girls their drinks, the guy on the phone ended the call and stood up.

"Sorry about that." The three girls as well as Chad turned to him. Gabriella immediately froze and her eyes widened.

"It's all good. Troy this is Taylor, Kelsi, and Gabriella, girls this is Troy." He automatically flashed them his signature smile.

"Hey." His smiled widened as he looked at Gabriella, who was probably the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen. Dressed in a tube top dress that was form fitting and ended a few inches above her knees, she looked sexy but not slutty. "Nice to meet you girls." Gabriella didn't even hear his greeting or hear her best friends reply, for she was still frozen in her spot. All she could think of were Kelly's words. _You are under no circumstances to have any sort of relationship with any of the players, even if it is platonic. You should not even be talking to them. If we find out that this rule has been broken, there is a high chance you will be kicked off the team. _Yet, right in front of her was Troy Bolton. The star of the Los Angeles Lakers. The guy that she told them she would never date. And now, just one day into training camp, she was technically breaking the cardinal rule. The rule that if broken could completely destroy her dream.

"Gabriella!" The brunette snapped out of her trance and turned to her best friend, who was looking at her very confused.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Gabriella plastered a fake smile on her face.

"Yeah, of course." Without even daring to look at Troy again, she turned back around to face the table, just as Zeke handed her the drink. "Thanks." A flash of confusion appeared in Troy's, wondering as to why the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, who he had simply smiled at him, had just completely ignored him, not even bothering to say hi.

--

"What's up man?" Troy turned to his friend, who was looking at him with worried eyes.

"What did I do?" Zeke followed his gaze, to see he was looking at Gabriella who was laughing at something with Chad and Taylor. "I try to make friendly conversation with her, and she completely ignored me! I wasn't even hitting on her!" Zeke just shrugged.

"Who knows man? Girls are weird."

"No shit." Just then he heard Gabriella say the word 'bathroom' and get up. Seeing this as his perfect opportunity, considering Gabriella wouldn't have anyone to turn to after he approached her, he got out of his seat. "I'll be back man." Zeke just shook his head at his friend and laughed, knowing that when Troy wanted something he would do anything to get it. Troy quickly left the booth and made his way to the bathroom. As soon as he saw Gabriella through the crowd he quickened his step so he was right behind her. As soon as he was, he grabbed her elbow and she whipped around. As soon as she saw him, she froze.

"Did I do something?" he immediately asked confused.

"What?"

"All I try to do is make friendly conversation, and you avoid me like the plague. Did I do something?" Gabriella sighed, defeated, and figured she might as well tell him why she wasn't talking to him. After all, it would most likely make him back off.

"What was your dream growing up Troy?" Troy looked at her weirdly, but decided to answer anyway.

"To play in the NBA."

"Yeah, well mine was to be a Laker Girl." Troy raised his eyebrows in shock, definitely not expecting it. "And today I was finally accepted to the training camp. So if I don't screw up, in eight weeks my dream will be a reality."

"A Los Angeles Laker and a Laker Girl, wow it's like a perfect…" She rolled her eyes before he could continue.

"Please Troy, you know very well that it means…"

"You're not allowed to date me." Troy couldn't help but be a little disappointed at this, but he was still confused as to why she wouldn't even talk to him when he wasn't hitting on her. "And I don't know if you've noticed, but all I tried to do was make conversation, I never tried to hit on you."

"No Troy. I'm not allowed to have any kind of interaction let alone any type of relationship with you." Troy looked at her like she was crazy.

"You're kidding me right?"

"No I'm not kidding. If I don't become a Laker Girl cause I'm not a good enough dancer, or because I don't have the stage presence it is one thing. But not getting to wear that uniform that I've always dreamed of wearing because I broke a rule, that's not about to happen."

"Wait a second. You could get kicked off the team just for talking to me?"

"Yes."

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Gabriella rolled her eyes at the basketball player's statement.

"Yeah, well there is nothing I can do about it. So from now on the only time we see each other is on the court." With that she turned to walk away. However, Troy being Troy, wasn't about to let her go that easily. At that moment he decided that if he wasn't even supposed to talk to her, what was the difference between friendly conversation and hitting on her, so he might as well. He grabbed her hand, and she turned to him, with an annoyed expression, trying to ignore the chills that were running through her body. "What?" He pulled her towards him so her chest was up against his and her breath hitched in shock. He bent down so his mouth was at her ear and she shivered at the feeling of his breath on her skin.

"I'm a professional athlete Gabriella. I love a challenge." Her eyes narrowed and she stepped back to see him smirking.

"In my interview they asked me what I would say if you asked me on a date. With all the seriousness in the world I said no. That's never gonna change." The smirk didn't falter as she rolled her eyes before walking off. He laughed and shook his head. If there was one thing he knew it was that Gabriella Montez had no idea what she was in for.

**Please Review!! And make sure to check out my other story 'I Know What It's Like'!**


	3. Virtually Impossible

**Dreams or Desire**

Cocky. Definitely a way to describe Troy Bolton. Being the star player for the best team in the NBA, having an NBA championship win and an NCAA title under your belt, and are looked at as the David Beckham of basketball, it would be surprising if he wasn't extremely confident. And that is definitely what he was. The type of cockiness that he portrayed wasn't the asshole kind, but the confident kind. He wasn't a bad guy, he just knows what he wants, and knows he can get it. And at the present moment he wanted Gabriella Montez.

"It's bullshit! I'm a Laker, she's a Laker Girl, I'm sorry, is it just me or does that translate into perfect couple?" The Los Angeles Lakers laughed at their star player's complaint.

"Well considering she's not even allowed to talk to you, I'm gonna go with it is just you." Troy glared at Jordan, who just smirked.

"Seriously! Who made up that dumbass rule anyway? Not even being able to speak to them? I mean we didn't have that rule in high school or college, and everything was okay."

"Some of the wives complained cause the cheerleaders were hitting on their husbands." Troy looked at Luke, who had just dispelled the information, like he was crazy. "I think every team has it."

"But I'm not married, so it shouldn't apply to me."

"I agree with you man, but that's how it is," Adam, another player replied.

"It is virtually impossible that a Laker has never hooked up with a Laker Girl."

"Oh it's happened, but I was talking to this girl who used to be one, and she was saying that every time it happened the girl was kicked off the squad. There's never been a time where they haven't found out about it. Those girls are watched like hawks," Luke replied.

"Shit, really?"

"Yeah man, apparently Kelly has eyes everywhere. It's really fucking intense. She like watches our bench to see if we are eying any of them, and if a girl is even so much as looking, she is called into the office and suspended." Troy's jaw hit the floor. "You know how the executive office knows everything?"

"Yeah."

"You know the Senior VP, that woman Charlotte?"

"Of course."

"She's also the President of the cheerleaders."

"Shit, so she knows about the players and if she hears that we are fucking around with a cheerleader, she goes to Kelly?"

"Yep."

"Damn, that is intense."

"I know."

"Why do you care so much anyway, you can get any model in this city." Troy turned to Adam, and looked at him confused. Truthfully, he didn't really know. Maybe it was because she was so gorgeous, or maybe it was because he loved a challenge.

"I dunno, she was perfect, and I love a challenge."

"Well they aren't officially on the team yet, right? Maybe she wont make it, then you can get her," Jordan suggested.

"Her mom's the choreographer. I have a feeling she's gonna make it."

"Sucks for you man." Troy glared at Jordan, who just chuckled. Troy rolled his eyes and picked up his gym bag.

"I'll see you assholes later." The guys just laughed as Troy left the room. Just as he did, his phone rang. He removed his iPhone from his pocket to see it read 'Mitch Kupchek Office'. He immediately pressed answered, knowing it wasn't a good idea to ignore the General Manager.

"Hi Mitch," he answered.

"Oh good, I'm glad I caught you. Can you come to the offices, I need to talk to you about something." His eyes narrowed in confusion, wondering what he wanted.

"Umm, sure, I'll be right over."

Meanwhile…

Gabriella was in awe. Right in front of her was the new Laker Girl uniform. One that could potentially be hers in 7 weeks. It was amazing. Considering the players now had white uniforms for Sunday home games, it had been decided that it would only be right for the girls to get white uniforms too. It was the same as the original one, a mini skirt and a long sleeve scoop neck top that ended right under the chest, which had the Laker logo in the middle. However, instead of it being yellow, it was a metallic white, that made it flashy. She couldn't help but feel special, considering she was the first one to see it. She had stayed after rehearsal to wait for her mom, who still had some work to do, and Kelly had come in with the uniform.

"Charlotte said she wants to see it as soon as we get it, but I thought it would be better if she saw it on one of the girls, so maybe we should wait until tomorrow," Kelly informed Maria.

"I agree. But why wait until tomorrow? Gabriella's here," Maria replied and Gabriella's eyes widened.

"Oh!" Kelly smiled. "Perfect!"

"Are you sure?" Gabriella asked in shock and the two women laughed.

"Of course." Gabriella couldn't help but smile widely at Kelly's response.

Before she knew it she was wearing the uniform, even though it hadn't really hit her yet. She couldn't believe it, she was finally wearing an official Laker Girl uniform. She, her mom, and Kelly made their way to Charlotte's office, and walked in after they heard a faint 'come in'. As soon as Charlotte saw Gabriella, her jaw dropped, making Gabriella smile and blush.

"Wow, it looks amazing."

"Oh good you like it," Kelly said excited.

"Yes, it's perfect. Go ahead and order them."

"Great!"

"I need to talk to you guys about something else, Gabriella could you excuse us for a moment?"

"Of course." Gabriella turned to make her way out of the room, but her mom stopped her.

"Just wait for me outside."

"Ok." She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She leaned up against the wall, and smoothed out the uniform, still excited that she was in it.

"Wow. Now I really can't wait to see you cheering for me!" Gabriella's eyes widened at the sound of the smooth voice. She turned her head and looked at the blue-eyed boy, who was walking up to her, like he was crazy.

"Troy!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone. "What the hell are you doing? The President, director, and choreographer of the Laker Girls are behind that door!" A smirk graced his face. "Don't you know that these rules apply to you as well just as much as they apply to me?"

"Number 1, no they don't, cause they are not gonna kick me off the team for dating someone. Second, even if they did I wouldn't really care."

"Well that's lucky for you. So unless you want me off the team, leave!" Troy sighed over dramatically, and she rolled her eyes.

"Ok, fine. But only because that would mean you wouldn't be on that court in that sexy ass uniform, cheering me on."

"Cheering the team on," she corrected.

"Whatever you say sweetheart." She narrowed her eyes at him and he smirked before walking off. She sighed and leaned back against the wall, now seeing how serious he was. He wasn't kidding when he said he loved a challenge. For the first time she realized that for the next year she was going to have to completely resist Troy Bolton. She was screwed, everyone knew it was virtually impossible.

**Please Review!! I don't know how I feel about this chapter, but it's better than nothing, so I hope you like it. **


	4. Yes

**Dreams or Desire**

**A/N: So for some reason I got like half the reviews on the last chapter as I did on the first two, and I'm not quite sure. If you have any type of suggestions, please let me know, and I hope you like this chapter better.**

"Are you as scared of him as I am?" Sharpay Evans turned to her closest friends among the Laker Girls and shook her head, sending Gabriella into a state of relief, now knowing that she wasn't the only one. Scary was definitely a way to describe Jay Johnson. After serving for twenty years in the United States Army, the extremely muscular man put together a physical training method based on the values and tactics used in basic training. He knew how to get people into shape better than anyone, which is why the Laker Girls had hired him years ago to whip the girls into shape. And that is exactly what he did.

"Considering you are the cheerleaders for one of the best teams in the National Basketball Association, it is essential that you are aware of the basics to the sport!" Gabriella once again turned to Sharpay.

"Does he have to yell everything?"

"I think so." Gabriella rolled her eyes before turning to the drill sergeant in front of them.

"Therefore, to help you we have asked for some help. Ladies, please welcome starting point guard, Jordan Farmar, and starting shooting guard, Troy Bolton." All of the girls applauded as the two guys ran out, except of course for Gabriella. Frozen in place, every curse word was running through her head. "You will split into two groups, rookies and veterans, and you will be coached by one of these guys."

"Please be Jordan, please be Jordan," Gabriella murmured to herself.

"Jordan will be with the veterans and Troy will be with the rookies."

"Fuck!" Everyone turned to Gabriella in shock. She froze and turned beat red. She glanced at Troy who had a massive smirk on his face. She would have narrowed her eyes at him, but she realized everyone was still staring at her. "Umm…sorry…some…some pain just shot through my back. All those high kicks, you know?" She chuckled, rubbing her back, trying to prove that she wasn't absolutely humiliated. Thankfully it worked, for the girls laughed, most of them understanding.

"Anyway, rookies, go with Troy, veterans with Jordan. You will practice for about 20 minutes, then scrimmage."

"Come on rookies!" Troy exclaimed and the girls, all very excited, except for Gabriella of course, followed him to one end of the court. "Ok, we're gonna work on dribbling first, so grab a ball then go to the end line." All the girls went to the ball rack, and Gabriella not being excited to do so, didn't rush over, therefore ended up the last one, leaving her to grab a ball when Troy was the only one there.

"And here I thought you'd be excited to see me." She looked up at him, and just shot him a death glare, before making her way to the line. He just laughed, before making his way to the free throw line. "Ok is there anyone here who doesn't know how to dribble." The girls shook their heads or replied with 'no' and Troy nodded. "Great. Okay, you are going to dribble to me with your right hand then back with your left. Go!" All the girls began dribbling towards him, and Troy watched intently as they all did. However, unknown to them, he wasn't watching their dribbling, but checking them out, and ultimately deciding that none of the girls, the rookies at least, had anything on Gabriella. After dribbling, they moved to the free throw line to work on their shooting. Troy smiled as Gabriella approached the line. He had the perfect plan. After taking her shot, he was going to stand behind her, place his hands on hers, and show her not only to shoot properly, but that he had a greater affect on her than she imagine. But right as she shot the ball, his face fell. She had shot it with perfect form and it had landed in the basket with nothing but net. Therefore Gabriella smirked at Troy before getting back into the line.

"Ok ladies! Time to scrimmage!" Jay exclaimed. "Guys get your starting five."

"Ok girls bring it in." All the girls walked over to Troy, and got into a huddle. "Okay, who wants to start?"

"I will!" Gabriella exclaimed, knowing Troy was going to be on the bench. He just smiled.

"Ok, who else?" For more girls volunteered, and they then put their hands in the middle. "Rookies on three. 1…2…3…"

"Rookies!" The girls cheered and the five made their way to the center of the court as Troy and the rest of the girls went to the bunch. Soon the game was underway, and knowing it was a game that was just for fun, he didn't really coach the girls from the sidelines, but cheering the girls on instead. A few minutes later, he came up with a new plan, and smiled at how good it was. Therefore, he turned to the girl who was seated next to him.

"On the next whistle you are going to go in for Gabriella," Troy instructed and the girl nodded. A few minutes later Jay blew the whistle, due to a ball that went out of bounds. "Jay! Sub!" Jay nodded and the girl got up, calling Gabriella's name. Gabriella nodded and made her way to the bench, but froze for a moment when she saw that the only empty seat was next to Troy. She rolled her eyes and he smirked, before reluctantly sitting down next to him. Noticing that the rest of the girls were occupied with cheering for their teammates, he realized it would be his perfect opportunity. "You know you're going to have to at least talk to me sometime." She just glared at him. "I'm not gonna stop until you promise to meet me in the players parking lot after. Just to talk." She rolled her eyes.

"Fine." He smiled successfully and leaned back into his chair, and she just shook her head.

--

After their training session, Gabriella grabbed her bag, and waited for everyone to leave before reluctantly making her way to the parking lot. She truthfully had no idea why she had given into him, but she figured it was better than him talking to her in front of Jay and her teammates. As soon as she entered the parking lot, she did everything she could do to not freeze in her spot. There he was, leaning against his Bentley, his aviators covering those amazing blue eyes, looking as suave and sexy as can be. Her heart began to race as she made her way over to him. Although butterflies were fluttering in her stomach, she did plastered an annoyed look across her face.

"What do you want Troy?"

"Well hello to you too." She glared at him and he smirked.

"I'm serious. What do you want?" He sighed, and took off his sunglasses so he could look her in the eye.

"I need to ask you something."

"What?" she asked impatiently.

"If you weren't a Laker Girl, or I wasn't a Laker, and I was to ask you out, what would you say?" She sighed and ran her hand through her hair, not knowing what to say. Of course she would go out with him, any girl in her right mind would, but if she were to admit that, he would never let her hear the end of it.

"I dunno," she finally replied. "But I do know that if you wanted to hang out as friends I would say yes." He smiled slightly, even though it wasn't the exact answer he was looking for, at least it wasn't a flat out no.

"Ok, so how about for tonight we forget about our jobs and hang out…as friends." She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You have hit on me every single time I've seen you. What makes you think that I actually believe you want to hang out as friends?"

"Well I know you have no reason to, but I hoped you would believe me when I say that I rather hang out with you as a friend than not hang out with you at all."

"It doesn't matter Troy. We can't live in the hypothetical and we can't just forget what we do for a night. I'm sorry, but I can't." With that she turned around to walk off, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her. She turned and looked at him annoyed.

"I just need to know. Would I have a chance?" She took a deep breath and looked at him in the eye with all seriousness.

"Yes."

**Please Review!!! Sorry it took me a while to update, I had some writer's block. A new chapter of I Know What It's Like should be up soon as well.**


	5. You Got It Bad

**Dreams or Desire**

"Jesus Gabs! Stop bouncing! You are making me nervous!" Gabriella looked at her friend and smiled embarrassed. It was the Los Angeles Lakers home opener and to say she was nervous would be an understatement.

"Sorry," she giggled. She turned back to her locker and picked up her hairspray. Just as she did, she noticed that there was a folded piece of paper behind it. With a confused look across her face, she grabbed the piece of paper and opened it up. As soon as she did so and began to read the scribbly writing, she froze.

I can't wait to see you cheering me on tonight.  Good luck.

Troy

Gabriella's heart began to pound through her chest. The last time she had seen Troy was their secret meeting in the parking lot, and to say she hadn't thought about it more than a few times would be a lie. Sharpay looked over to see her friend who was still frozen in place.

"What's wrong? You've performed in front of tons of people before!" Gabriella whipped her head around and looked at her friend. Sharpay was right. She wasn't nervous to perform in front of tons of people. She was nervous to perform in front of one person. Seeing the worried look on her friends face, Sharpay knew that it was more serious than she had predicted. "Do you want to talk alone?" Gabriella just nodded, before following Sharpay into one of the bathrooms, which were single rooms, not stalls, so they would have complete privacy. "What's goin on babe?" Gabriella sighed before taking a deep breath.

"You have to promise me you won't say anything."

"Of course. What happened?" Gabriella handed Sharpay the note she had received a moment earlier. Sharpay looked at her confused, but took the note anyway and opened it up. As soon as she read it, she froze and her jaw hit the floor.

"Troy! As in Troy Bolton?!" Gabriella just nodded, with the worried look still in her eyes. "When? How?" Gabriella preceded to tell Sharpay the whole story, from the night they met to the secret meeting in the parking lot.

"I don't know why I said yes! I just did! God I'm so stupid!" Sharpay sighed to her friend, before placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No you aren't Gab. He's gorgeous and suave, no girl in their right mind would say no to him. But the question is, do you like him?" Gabriella sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know. He's so cocky, but for some reason it's sexy. I mean when we first met he didn't try to hit on me; he just wanted to have friendly conversation. He's never used a pick up line or anything. How often does that happen these days? And it just feels good to be chased. To be wanted. Especially by a guy who could get any girl he wants. You know?"

"Of course I know what you are saying. And if I was in your position I would probably have hooked up with him a long time ago." Gabriella couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Look babe, you have worked really hard to get here, so I know why you are so worried about this, but don't be. If Kelly hasn't found out yet, she never will. So we're gonna go out there and kick ass, and Troy is going to want you even more."

"And that is a good thing?" Gabriella asked, looking at her like she was crazy.

"Yes, because you two would be a hot couple."

"You're encouraging this?"

"Yes, and I bet you when you get out there, and see get all sweaty and be so passionate, with those gorgeous blue eyes of his, you will want him more as well." Gabriella just glared at her.

"Thanks Shar. This has really helped," Gabriella replied sarcastically. Sharpay just gave her a cheeky smile.

"Anytime babe. Now, you ready?" Gabriella took a deep breath.

"Yeah."

--

Before they knew it, all twenty girls were center court preparing for the entrance of the 2008-2009 Los Angeles Lakers. The arena went dark and Gabriella looked up to see the introductory video begin. As soon as she did so, a video clip of Troy driving to the basket and dunking the ball was displayed on the massive video screen. Her heart began to pound. This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for as long as she could remember, and she wasn't about to let some guy who had she had spoken to three times ruin it. As soon as the video was over adrenaline began to rush through Gabriella's body, as she turned to the audience. As instructed, she cheered and jumped up and down, as each player was announced. It took a lot to not turn her head when Troy's name was called, but she managed. Little did she know, that at the same moment Troy was doing all he could to focus on the game, and not smile widely when he saw her in the skimpy uniform.

--

"God he's hot." Gabriella turned to her friend, who was sitting next to her, and just glared. They were sitting on the floor to the right side of one of the baskets, and had a front row view of the game, which had begun ten minutes earlier.

"Thanks I hadn't realized," Gabriella muttered back, and Sharpay just laughed. Just then the ref blew his whistle, signaling the end of the first quarter. The girls immediately stood up, getting ready for their first performance.

"You ready?" Gabriella couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah."

Meanwhile, Troy plopped down on the bench, taking a few deep breaths. He had played as hard as he could for the first quarter, leading the Lakers to be 15 points up. Considering they were in the lead by a large amount, they didn't huddle up, and the players just took a break, with the coach only talking to a few. Most of them, including Troy, turned to watch the girls who would be cheering them on for the rest of the year. Troy's eyes immediately went to Gabriella, and he was automatically hooked. She had more energy than most of the girls and so much stage presence. He then felt a nudge in his side and he turned to Jordan, who was to the right of him.

"Which one is she?" Troy turned back to the dancers.

"Second row, third to the left. The brunette." Jordan's jaw dropped.

"Damn." Just then, Gabriella kicked her right leg up, and it went up to the side of her head, accentuating her flexibility. Troy froze. Flexibility was a turn on to any guy. At that moment he became even more captivated by the brunette beauty. Seeing the look on Troy's face, Jordan laughed. "You got it bad dude." Troy sighed.

"Yeah."

An hour and a half later, the Lakers pretty much had their win sealed. It was the fourth quarter and they were beating the Phoenix Suns by 20 points. This led to the starters all on the bench, joking and fooling around. The Suns called a time out and both teams returned to the bench, however, the Lakers once again did not enter the huddle. Just then 'Crank That' began to play through the speakers. Jordan began to lean into Troy and 'crank it' leading the guys to laugh, then follow his lead. Meanwhile, Gabriella, looked up to the jumbotron, to see what the whole stadium was laughing and cheering about. Sure enough, there were Troy, Jordan, and Brett, dancing on the bench. Gabriella couldn't help but smile. This was the first time she Troy be playful, and joke around. And it was safe to say that she liked it.

"You got it bad babe." Gabriella turned to Sharpay who was looking at her with an amused smile.

"No I don't."

"Yeah, you do." Gabriella thought for a second. Could she really possibly have feelings for the guy who was completely off limits?

"I dunno. I might."

Please Review!!!!


	6. All That Matters

**Dreams or Desire**

"What is your problem Gabs? You look hot!" Gabriella whined and tried to pull down her white, lace, one shoulder dress down, however it didn't go too far. "You dance in an in front of thousands of people every week in an outfit that is half the size of that dress!"

"That's different! That's a costume! No one is looking at me and thinking that I'm a slut!" Taylor just rolled her eyes.

"Well there is nothing you can do about it now, cause we're here." Gabriella turned to her right, and sure enough, they had arrived at the Hollywood hotspot. She just groaned. After paying the cab driver, the two girls got out and walked up to the club, in which around a hundred people were lined up to get into. Gabriella began to make her way to the end of the line, but then noticed that Taylor was walking up to the front of the line. "What are you doing Tay?"

"Going to the front of the line. We're on the list." Gabriella looked at her confused. Before she could say anything, Taylor had approached the bouncer. "Hey my name is Taylor McKessie, this is Gabriella Montez, we're with Chad Danforth." At the sound of this, Gabriella's eyes widened. According to Taylor, where Chad went, Troy went, and visa versa. The bouncer scrolled through the list before stepping aside to let the girls through. Taylor turned to Gabriella and smiled. "Let's go babe." Still in shock, Gabriella reluctantly followed Taylor into the loud club. However, before she could walk 2 feet into it, Gabriella had turned her around.

"Why didn't you tell me!"

"Because I knew you wouldn't come. Don't worry babe, it will be fine."

"But…" Before Gabriella could continue, Taylor turned around. "Ugh!" She stomped her foot on the ground in frustration, before having no choice but to follow her friend. They made their way through the young adults who had all come to let loose after a long week at work, until they reached the edge of the club, where all the booths were placed.

"There they are!" Gabriella immediately looked to see the guy who her best friend had been dating since they met at Apple a few months prior, and of course next to him was the blue-eyed boy who she could not stop thinking about. She immediately froze. Of course as soon as she did, he turned his head. They locked eyes and a smile immediately graced his face. She quickly broke the gaze, and reluctantly followed Taylor to the table, not daring to even glance at Troy.

"Hey Chad," she greeted, hugging her best friend's boyfriend.

"Hey Gabs. How are you?"

"I'm good, you?"

"Great. You wanna drink?"

"Please." She made her way over to the table and Chad began to pour drinks, first for Taylor then for Gabriella. He then turned his focus to Taylor, leaving Gabriella standing there by herself. She started to move forward to talk to Brett and Zeke, who were sitting on the couch, until her hand was grabbed and she was turned around, only to come face to face with Troy.

"You were amazing the other night." Gabriella tensed up at his serious and genuine tone. In some ways she wished it wasn't a sincere compliment, rather a pick up line, that way she would've been able to slap him across the face. "Are you gonna ignore me the entire night?" Gabriella sighed.

"We're in a public place Troy. If someone were to…" Now it was Troy's turn to sigh. "I'm sorry Troy. I can't."

"Fine. But just answer me this. Why did you say yes the other day?" Gabriella groaned and ran her hand through her hair, before taking a deep breath.

"Cause what girl would say no to the only guy who's ever chased her. Well the first guy who isn't a sleezeball." A smile graced his face.

"Does that mean I still have a chance with you?"

"It doesn't matter Troy. Cause no matter what, I can't be with you." With that, Gabriella walked over towards Zeke and Brett.

--

"Hey, I am gonna go with Chad is that okay?" A suggestive smile came across Gabriella's face and Taylor rolled her eyes. "Not like that."

"Uh huh, okay," Gabriella laughed.

"Shut up. So are you okay getting back?"

"Of course." The girls hugged good-bye before going their separate ways. Feeling ready to leave, Gabriella said bye to Brett and Zeke, who she had spent the entire night talking to. As she was about to leave the booth, she was suddenly approached by the boy who had spent his night talking to other friends that had joined them, knowing that she didn't want to talk.

"You shouldn't be taking a cab alone. Let me take you home." She rolled her eyes.

"I'll be fine Troy."

"Please Gabriella. It's not safe," he pleaded, and she couldn't help but get goose bumps at his caring nature.

"Troy if we are seen leaving together…"

"I'll get the car and pick you up on the corner. Okay?"

"You aren't gonna let me say no are you?"

"No." Gabriella sighed.

"Fine." He couldn't help but smile.

"I'll see you in a few minutes." With that he turned around to leave the club. Gabriella sighed, wondering what the hell she was thinking. She concluded that she wasn't. She took a deep breath, before making her way out of the club. She immediately noticed that there was multiple photographers outside, and was immediately thankful that she and Troy hadn't walked out together. She walked to the corner, and just as she did, Troy approached in his Mercedes. She got inside and he quickly sped off. For the first few moments they sat there in an awkward silence.

"So where do you live?"

"Westwood," she mumbled and he nodded. "You're at UCLA right?"

"Yeah, I'm a junior." He just nodded.

"So you hungry?" She looked at him confused.

"Huh?"

"Are you hungry. It's not a night out without greasy food at the end."

"I'm not really supposed to eat…" Troy rolled his eyes.

"Jesus, how many rules does Kelly have?" Gabriella couldn't help but chuckle.

"A two-inch binder worth," she replied and he looked at her in shock, which made her laugh again.

"Like what?"

"You get two unexcused absences and seven excused, anything more you are off the team. That's for rehearsal. If you miss more than four games you are off the team, excused or unexcused. No visible tattoos, no jewelry except for small earrings, body fat percentage must be between 10 and 15 percent," Gabriella listed off.

"Damn."

"Yeah. Oh and no interacting with players and eating unhealthy food." Troy couldn't help but laugh.

"Wow you must really love it, considering all those rules and you get paid like nothing."

"Yeah, there is nothing like the feeling of being on that court." Troy smiled widely.

"I know what you mean. Well considering you've already thrown rule one out the window, it seems like breaking the second will do any harm." Gabriella thought for a second. She was hungry and a cheeseburger sounded pretty good.

"Fine." He smiled widely.

--

A few minutes later they had received their food from the McDonalds drive-thru and Troy parked his car, confusing Gabriella.

"Why are we staying here?"

"I can't eat and drive at the same time."

"But what if…"

"It's 2 A.M. Do you see anyone?" She looked around, and sure enough, there was no one else in the parking lot."

"Ok."

"So what's your story?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your life story. What is it?" He asked as they began to eat their food.

"Um well I was born and raised here. I had a pretty normal childhood. Obviously my mom is the choreographer for the Laker Girls, so I've been dancing and cheering since I could walk…"

"How did you learn how to play basketball?"

"My Dad played in college."

"Is that where your parents met?"

"Yeah." He raised his eyebrows.

"Really? The cheerleader and the athlete. Where have I heard that before?" Gabriella glared at him and he laughed.

"Do you want me to keep going?" she shot back.

"Yes."

"Ok. Well anyway, he taught me. We used to play all the time."

"Used to?"

"He died from cancer a few years ago," she replied sadly and he froze.

"Wow, I'm sorry I…" he quickly replied apologetically.

"No, don't worry about it. There was no way you could've known." Troy just nodded. "Anyway, I've pretty much been destined to be a Laker Girl since the age of two. What about you?"

"Born and raised in Albuquerque. My Dad is a P.E. and basketball coach. My mom was a nurse, but quit to raise me and my siblings."

"How many do you have?"

"Two. A 16 year old sister who is the devil but I love her anyway," he replied and she laughed. "And a 4 year old brother who's the coolest." Gabriella couldn't help but smile widely at the look on his face as he talked about his family. "Just like you I had a pretty normal childhood."

"Did you always want to play basketball?"

"Yeah…well except for when I was five. I wanted to be a Power Ranger." Gabriella giggled, and her smile widened. She had only seen this side of Troy when he was dancing on the bench, but was still surprised. She had no idea how down to earth and funny he really was. "Anyway, I got recruited to play at Duke, then was drafted to the Lakers after my junior year."

"So were you always this cocky?" Gabriella smirked.

"Confident," he corrected.

"Whatever you say," she laughed. He chuckled as well, but after a few moments his face turned serious, leading her to look at him confused. "What?"

"Why do you have to be the one girl that is off limits?" She took a deep breath and looked at him with the same serious expression.

"Because sometimes the things you want most in life are the things you can't have." Troy nodded solemnly and she sighed sadly. "But if it means anything, the guy that I saw tonight, the guy who I saw dancing on the bench, is a guy that I wish I could have." He just smiled at her slightly. She smiled back, before things began to get a little awkward. "Umm…we should be getting back." Troy just nodded before turning on the car.

About 20 minutes later, they arrived at Gabriella's apartment building. The only words that had been spoken were from Gabriella, when she was directing him towards her house. It was safe to say it was awkward. As soon as they arrived, Gabriella turned to Troy.

"Thanks."

"It was my pleasure." She smiled slightly and blushed. Without another word, she got out of the car. Troy sighed as he watched her go up to the building. He knew it. He'd never wanted someone so bad. He threw his head back and groaned. He had a decision to make.

Meanwhile, Gabriella walked into her apartment and sighed. She had no idea what to do. He was amazing. Funny, sweet, passionate, confident, and gorgeous. She dropped her purse on the counter, and kicked off her shoes, not caring where they ended up. As soon as she began to make her way to her bedroom she heard a knock on the door. A confused look came across her face, wondering who would be there so late. She let it go, and walked over to the door. As soon as she looked through the peephole she froze. It was Troy. She took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Troy what are you…" She couldn't continue. His lips were on hers. And it felt amazing. After the shock wore off she couldn't help but kiss back. The kiss grew passionate, their tongues fighting for dominance. Finally, due to lack of air supply, Troy pulled away. She was absolutely speechless.

"I want you. You want me. That's all that matters." Gabriella just nodded.

**Please Review!! They kissed! But don't think it's gonna be smooth sailing. **


	7. Before It Even Began

**Dreams or Desire**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!!**

Sharpay looked at her friend confused. It was a Monday, which meant Gabriella was usually in a bad mood, due to classes all day and rehearsal at night. However, today she had a massive smile on her face. Needing to get to the bottom of it, without saying a word, Sharpay grabbed Gabriella by the wrist.

"What are you doing Shar?" Gabriella asked confused as she was dragged through the locker room and into the bathroom. Sharpay closed the door behind them and locked it, before turning to her friend.

"Spill!" Gabriella looked at her confused.

"What are you talking about Sharpay?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you have a ridiculous smile on your face, and don't say that there is a reason for it, because I know you are always grumpy on Monday. So spill!" A smile graced Gabriella's face as she thought about what had been making her smile so wide. "It's a boy isn't it?" Gabriella just nodded. "Oh my god! Who?"

"Troy," she replied sheepishly and Sharpay's jaw hit the floor.

"No way!" Gabriella nodded again. "Tell me everything. Now!" Gabriella giggled before telling Sharpay everything up to the kiss.

"God Shar, when he kissed me, I've never felt that way before," Gabriella gushed and Sharpay squealed.

"So what happened after?" Sharpay asked in anticipation.

"Well it was like 3 A.M. so we were both tired. We exchanged phone numbers, and we'll see what happens."

"Oh my god! Yay!"

"I know! But you have to promise…" Sharpay rolled her eyes, before cutting off her friend.

"What makes you think I would tell someone, let alone Kelly," Sharpay asked with her eyebrows raised.

"Ok good."

--

Two hours later, the girls were all sitting on the floor of the dance studio, waiting for Kelly. It had been a long and intense rehearsal, and all they wanted was to go home.

"I wonder what she wants," Gabriella said, turning to Sharpay, who just shrugged. Just then the door opened and they all turned to see their boss walk in. As soon as she did, they all froze. They knew the look on her face. It was the look that was only there if she was extremely pissed off. Sharpay and Gabriella looked at each other worried, as did many other girls. Kelly walked to the front of the room before opening up a piece of paper and reading off it.

"Caught in the act. Troy Bolton…" That's all that needed to be said before Gabriella froze in place and for her heart to begin pounding through her chest. "…partying with friends at Hollywood hotspot Apple Saturday night. Eyewitnesses tell that he left with a beautiful brunette. 'They were obviously trying to keep their relationship a secret. They hardly spoke throughout the night, and he picked her up around the corner, instead of walking out with her.' As for the identity of Bolton's newest beau, the fellow party-goer says that he was unable to get a clear view of her face, however overheard her mentioning that she was a Laker Girl." All the girls in the room gasped, and Sharpay looked at her friend who was still completely frozen. She squeezed her hand in a comforting manner, before Gabriella turned to her, extremely worried. "As you can see I am extremely upset about this. This is the rule I stressed the most and it has been broken. I haven't been this disappointed in a very long time." Gabriella's heart sank. She then turned to her mother who also had a look of disappointment across her face. At this, she began to do everything she could do to not break into tears. "Whoever this is, you have disgraced the organization, so it ends now. And don't think for one second I won't be watching ever single one of you like a hawk tomorrow night. If I see one of you so much as glance at one of the players, you will be suspended. Understood?" All the girls nodded mutely, extremely scared. "Good." With that, Kelly stormed out.

--

"What are you gonna do babe?" Sharpay mumbled, as the two girls walked to their cars. "End it?"

"You can't end something that never began Shar," Gabriella replied deadpan.

"Yes it did! You guys…"

"What? Kissed once? Talked 3 times? It's not worth it Shar," she replied, trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

"I know you like him Gab." Gabriella sighed and turned to Sharpay.

"Yeah, ok, I do," Gabriella admitted, "but I hardly know him. For all I know he could just be acting sweet to get me into bed. You really think I'm gonna throw away my dream for a night with Troy Bolton?"

"So it's over?"

"Yeah."

--

Gabriella flopped down on her couch and sighed sadly. It wasn't until getting in her car and thinking seriously about the blue-eyed boy, did she realize that ending it was going to be harder than she thought. But she knew it was her only option. She grabbed her phone and took a deep breath, before finding Troy's number and pressing send.

"Hey you," Troy answered flirtatiously, and her heart sank.

"Hey," she mumbled.

"What's wrong?" He asked, hearing the sadness in her voice.

"I can't do this Troy…" He cut her off by groaning.

"I thought we talked about this? I thought we were past it," he replied, confused.

"We were, until someone told Star Magazine that you were hanging out with a Laker Girl on Saturday and left with her." Although Gabriella could not see, she knew he had frozen in shock. "Kelly of course knows, and will be watching like a hawk tomorrow night. If we so much as look at each other I will be suspended. I can't risk it Troy."

"But Gabriella…" he began to protest.

"I'm sorry Troy." With that, Gabriella hung up the phone, not having anything else to say. She dropped it on the couch before grabbing a pillow. She held it tight, as tears began to stream down her face.

**Please Review!! Sorry it's short, the next chapter is about 75 percent done so that will probably be up by tomorrow. **


	8. I'll Be Waiting

**Dreams or Desire**

"What's your problem, dude?" Jordan asked as an annoyed Troy walked into the locker room the next day.

"I don't wanna talk about it," he grumbled placing his bag in his locker.

"Well don't let it effect your game dude," Luke added. Troy didn't even glance at his teammates.

"It won't."

--

Gabriella sighed as she gathered her things from her locker to put them in her gym bag. It had been a rough game, especially considering that Troy looked pissed off the entire time. Even though the Lakers had won, it was clear that Troy hadn't played as well as he normally did. She couldn't help but be hurt, knowing that she was the reason for it. At this point all she wanted was to go home and relax. However, when she discovered the note under her hairspray, she realized she wouldn't be able to go straight home, which is why at the present time, she was walking up to Troy in the players parking lot.

"What do you want?" she asked annoyed, but with sadness in her voice as well.

"You," he said simply, and she sighed.

"Troy, please," Gabriella begged, tears welling up in her eyes. "As much as I want it, I can't. This is my dream. My mother's dream. It would break her heart if I threw it all away for a guy."

"I know. I know Gabi. I've been there. I know how hard it is."

"How could you possibly know?" He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, looking away. He took a deep breath before turning to her.

"In high school I had a girlfriend of 2 years. We planned on going to U of A together. They had offered me a scholarship to play basketball, so I decided to go. It was perfect, I would be playing basketball and I would have her. But then I got an offer from Duke. It had always been my dream school, but going there meant leaving her behind. After a lot of thinking I decided to go to Duke, and I left her. I don't regret going to Duke, but I realized in the end that no matter what my dream was I should've at least given the long distance thing a shot, instead of throwing it all away. I know what it's like to lose someone because of a dream. I don't want that to happen again. And I know you don't want to go through life wondering what could've been." By the end of Troy's speech, Gabriella had tears streaming down her face. She collapsed into his arms and began to sob into his chest. He hugged her tight, one hand on her lower back, the other on the back of her head. He closed his eyes, taking in the feeling of having her in his arms.

"I'm so sorry Troy," she cried.

"It's okay. I understand. But you should know what I'm not the kinda guy that has a girl in every city." She pulled away and looked at him like he was crazy.

"Are you seriously trying to tell me that you've never hooked up with a girl on the road?"

"No, I'm telling you that if I had you to come home to, I wouldn't. Gabriella, ever since college it's been about hooking up with as many girls as possible. This is the first time since Allison that I have no desire to hook up with random girls. Now all I want is you. To be able to kiss you whenever I want. To spoil you rotten. To call you baby."

"I…I think that is the sweetest thing a guy has ever said to me," she said through her tears and he gave her a sweet but sad smile. He reached up and placed his hand on her cheek, wiping her tears away with his thumb, however they just kept coming. "I don't know what to do Troy."

"Well, I guess there could be some excruciating pleasure in waiting till the season is over." Gabriella just shook her head.

"They wouldn't let me come back," she muttered sadly.

"No one has to know," he protested.

"Are you serious Troy? You are a public person. Don't you think someone is going to get suspicious when they realized you haven't hooked up with a supermodel in months?" He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"So what then? We ignore our feelings until one of us retires? That could be years! I have a five-year contract and you are good enough to do this for as long as you want!"

"Troy, please," she begged through tears. "Don't make it harder than it already is. I mean I want you too but we've only spoken like 5 times. We haven't even been on a date. Is it really worth risking everything."

"I know things have gone pretty fast. And if you don't think that there is a chance that we will last, I understand. I wouldn't throw away everything I've worked for, for someone I had no future with, and I don't think you should. But I think you know that we could have a future together, or else it wouldn't be so hard. And I know you felt something when we kissed." She just nodded and he took her in his arms once again. "You know how much I care about you, how much I want you, you know how well I would treat you, I don't know what more there is to say."

"You don't need to say anything else Troy. I just need to think." Troy nodded and pulled out of the hug.

"I'll be waiting." She nodded and he kissed her forehead, before getting into his car. She took a deep breath and wiped away her tears before walking to her car, unaware that someone had heard the entire thing.

**Please Review!!! Sorry it was a little short but I had to leave it there. I know that is a pretty painful cliffhanger but I had to do it. Who do you think it is? I'll give you a little tiny spoiler though. There will very possibly be some references to 17 Again in some future chapters. There is a new chapter of I Know What It's Like up, so please check it out!**

**And if you haven't heard Ashley's new single you have to check it out. It is amazing, I can't stop listening to it. **


	9. Approval

**Dreams or Desire**

Gabriella was sure of it. Whoever said that The Notebook and some ice cream could help you get over a boy, was completely full of shit. She had tried that method, but she still could not get Troy off of her mind.

"Gabi!!" Gabriella's eyes widened as she heard her mother walk into the apartment. She quickly wiped away her tears, and turned off the movie, not wanting her mom to know that she was upset. Maria sighed as she saw her daughters red eyes.

"Oh sweetie," she said sympathetically, walking over to the couch.

"What?" Gabriella asked, pretending to be oblivious, leading Maria to sigh again, before sitting on the couch.

"I'm not stupid. Your eyes are red, there is ice cream and the case for The Notebook on the coffee table." Gabriella looked to the coffee table and sighed, before bowing her head. Her mother placed a comforting hand on her back. "I heard everything Gabi." Gabriella's head shot up and she looked at her mother with wide eyes.

"Wh…what?" she asked fearfully.

"I heard you talking to Troy. I had to stay late, and I saw you leaving the arena. I went to ask you what you were still doing there, but then you walked into the players parking lot."

"I'm sorry mom," she replied desperately, tears beginning to stream down her face once again.

"It's okay honey." Gabriella looked at her mother in shock.

"It is?" Maria nodded.

"I will always first and foremost be your mother. And it is my duty as a mother to make you feel bad when you are upset. You can tell me anything sweetie. I won't be upset." Gabriella nodded and wiped away her tears. "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Gabriella sniffled and took a deep breath. "We met the night I got into training camp. Tay and Kels took me out to celebrate. One of his friends started talking to Tay and he invited us to their table. I tried to ignore him the best as I could, knowing I wasn't supposed to talk to him, but then he practically cornered me, wondering why I wouldn't talk to him. I told him, but he didn't really care. I remember at one point he grabbed my hand and chills just ran down my spine. I ignored it though. Then every time I saw him he kept pursuing me. At one point he asked me if he would have had a chance with me if it wasn't for this situation, and I said yes. I don't even know why. I had been so annoyed with him cause he just wouldn't stop, but it felt good to be chased, to be wanted, you know?

"Yes, I do sweetie. So then what happened?"

"Well Tay started dating his best friend, Chad. She was meeting up with him at a club, and she dragged me along. He was there. I pretty much ignored him the whole night, but then Taylor left with Chad. I was going to take a cab by myself, but he refused to let me. He said it wasn't safe, and he was right. So he offered to take me home…"

"So you were the girl that they were talking about in People," Maria said as more of a statement, not a question. Gabriella nodded shamefully. Maria rubbed her daughter's back in a soothing manner. "It's okay sweetie, just keep on going." Gabriella took a deep breath.

"Well we got to talking on the ride home, and I saw a completely different Troy. Not the cocky guy had met before. He was funny, sweet, and caring. I mean the way he talked about his family, the look on his face, I had never seen that in a guy before. He wasn't like the others, he genuinely wanted to get to know me. Anyway, he dropped me off here…" Gabriella sniffled and tried to wipe away her tears, but failed. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Then a few minutes later I heard a knock on my door. It was him. He said that the only thing that mattered was the fact that we want each other. Then…then he kissed me. I'd never felt anything like it Mom." Maria thought for a second and took a deep breath.

"Well as your mother, I would say you are crazy for not immediately saying yes to that boy," Maria replied and Gabriella smiled slightly. "The things he said about you…I even had tears in my eyes. And, yes, as your choreographer, I should tell Kelly, but as I said before, I'm your mother first, and I would be an awful mother if I didn't want the best for you. He's a guy who can get any girl in the city, yet he is fighting as hard as he can to be with you. Guys like that don't come around often. You'd be crazy to not snag that boy as fast as you possibly can." Gabriella's eyes lit up.

"You mean…"

"On two conditions." Gabriella giggled slightly. "You don't put me in the situation of having to lie to Kelly."

"Of course."

"And you invite him over for dinner. I have to meet him before I give final approval." Gabriella smiled widely.

"Deal!"

"Good." Gabriella then immediately hugged her mother.

"Thank you so much mom."

"Anything for you sweetie. And Gabi?" Gabriella pulled away and looked at her mother.

"Yeah?"

"I'm already so proud of you. I would be even if you weren't a Laker Girl. The only thing that is important is your dreams." Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"Ok, mom."

THE NEXY DAY

"Jesus Christ that was rough," Jordan groaned as the guys walked into the locker room at their practice facility. The guys didn't even have to say anything, just a few grumbles confirmed the fact that it had been a tough practice. While this was going on Troy walked over to his locker, to grab his stuff and get out of there as soon as he could. However, as soon as he grabbed his bag, he saw a note with his name on it. Confused, he picked it up and opened it. As soon as he read it, he smiled.

_Your practice and my rehearsal end at around the same tonight. Meet me in the parking lot in the park down the street when you're done._

He couldn't help but smile, which led to Jordan, whose locker was next to his, look at him confused. Once he saw the note, he looked at Troy amused, before ripping it out of his hands.

"Jordan!" Troy exclaimed, trying to grab it, but Jordan turned around and moved away before he could.

"Your practice and my rehearsal end at around the same tonight. Meet me in the parking lot in the park down the street when you're done," Jordan read in a high-pitched tone, which made all the guys laugh, except for Troy who glared at him. "Hmm, does someone want a booty call?"

"It's not like that dude," Troy shot back, taking the note back, which made the guys laugh.

"Ohh Troy's got a girlfriend," Luke teased and the guys laughed as Troy glared at him.

"Fuck all of you," he replied, even though he knew they were just joking around. They continued to laugh as he walked out. As he made his way to his car then towards the park, he couldn't help but be nervous. He was shocked that it didn't her long to think about it, which made him worry that she would say no. As soon as he arrived at the park, he pulled into the parking lot, to see it was completely empty, except for one car. His heart began to race as he saw the brunette beauty leaning on her car. She turned her head when she heard his car and chills rushed through his body as he saw her face, which you could only see because of the moonlight. He took a deep breath before getting out of the car, and walking over to her.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," she replied smiling, and he couldn't help but think that if she was smiling it was probably a good thing.

"So what's up?" She took a deep breath.

"My mom knows," she said seriously and his jaw hit the floor, and his body tensed up.

"How?"

"She heard us talking last night." He sighed sadly.

"I'm so sorr…"

"Troy, she's okay with it." His eyes widened as she smiled widely.

"What?" he asked in shock.

"She thinks that after all of the things you said, I would be crazy to say no to you." Now it was his turn to smile widely.

"You mean…" Gabriella just nodded. Without saying anything or removing the smile in his face, he leaned down and placed his lips on hers. She immediately kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. Once they needed air they pulled away and just looked into each other's eyes. She giggled happily, which led him to smile even wider.

"So where do we go from here?" she asked.

"Well considering we can't go to a restaurant, how about you come over to my place and I make you dinner," he replied.

"Sounds perfect." He smiled before bending down and kissing her once again, this time pressing her up against the car. They made out passionately, their tongues battling for dominance. Until they heard applauds. They both froze, before turning to see Jordan and Luke standing a few feet away, smirking and clapping. Gabriella immediately turned bright red, and buried her face into Troy's chest, embarrassed. Troy on the other hand narrowed his eyes at his two teammates.

"I swear to god if you two don't get the fuck out of hear right now, I will convince Coach to make you do suicides until you can't even walk." Jordan and Luke just laughed, before getting back in the car and driving off.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to look them in the eye again," Gabriella said embarrassed, which made Troy chuckle.

"Don't worry babe, they're just assholes who find amusement in harassing me. It's nothing against you." She just nodded. "Have I told you how glad I am that you said yes?" She shook her head. "Well, I'm ecstatic." She smiled, before leaning up and kissing him lightly.

**Please Review!!! Yay! They are together!!! So this story is ending up a little more fluffy than I originally planned it to be, but I figured there is nothing wrong with a fluffy story, and there will be some drama, but it's gonna stick to the plot. There's not gonna be any 'the jealous girl kisses Troy, and Gabriella sees before he can push her off, is stubborn and doesnt let him explain, and then it takes 10 chapters for them to get back together.' I'm so sick of that, even more than 'Gabriella has a kid and doesn't tell Troy,' which is saying a lot. Ok, I'm rambling, anyway, the reviews have been amazing so far, please keep them up. **


	10. His Side

**Dreams or Desire**

"This looks amazing," Gabriella gushed as Troy placed the pasta dish in front of her.

"I'm glad." He sat down across from her, at his kitchen table, placing a plate in front of him as well. "Dig in." Gabriella immediately took a bite of the pasta, that had some kind of sauce and vegetables in it. As soon as she swallowed it, her eyes widened.

"Jesus Troy! How did you learn to cook like this?" Troy laughed at her amazed expression.

"My mom was scared that I would just order pizza every day, so she made me learn."

"Awww, she gave you cooking lessons."

"Shut up," he laughed, and she giggled as well.

"So tell me something…" She started once the laughter died down.

"What's that?"

"How the hell did you go from the cocky guy I met at the club to the sweet, caring guy that drove me home." He smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "And don't even try to say it is just because you met me, cause we both know that you were just trying to get me into bed."

"Who says I'm still not trying to do that?" He joked and she gasped dramatically. "I'm kidding. Anyway, after you made it clear that you were the last person to ever do something like that, I started thinking. It was like even though all the screwing around for the past few years has been fun, I missed being a boyfriend. I guess wanting that brought out the other side of me."

"So you want to be a boyfriend?" She asked with a smile and a little blush on her cheeks. He smiled back at her.

"I mean it's only our first date, but eventually, yes."

"You know I didn't ask if you wanted to be my boyfriend," she said with a sly smile and he blushed.

"Wow, that's embarrassing." She smiled and placed her hand on his.

"Yeah, it probably would be if I didn't feel the same way, but I do." Looking into her eyes he picked up her hand and kissed it.

"Good."

--

"How the hell is it that you can keep your composure in front of 18,000 people multiple times a week, but you are freaking out about a simple dinner?" Gabriella asked Troy as they walked up to her mother's house.

"Well besides the fact that meeting the mother is always a big deal, your mother is supposed to want to have nothing to do with me. I mean what if she doesn't like me? Then she will tell you to end it, and she could threaten if you don't she'd tell Kelly, then you would get…"

"Troy!" she exclaimed, interrupting his frantic rant.

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Thanks for the comforting words babe," he shot back sarcastically and she smiled.

"Anytime. Oh and by the way, my Mom's boyfriend Craig is gonna be here too." Troy's eyes widened at the information he had just received from his girlfriend.

"I swear to god if he is protective of you, I am getting in the car right now, and leaving." Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"He's not my father Troy. They've been dating for a year, and I'm close to him, but I'm not his daughter, and he knows that it isn't his place to be protective of me. Plus, he's a big fan." Troy couldn't help but smile.

"I knew being a basketball star was good for something." Gabriella once again rolled her eyes at his cocky moment, before knocking on the door. Seeing Troy tense up, Gabriella's heart couldn't help but melt. She took his hand in hers and intertwined their fingers.

"It's gonna be fine," she said softly and he smiled at her thankfully and nodded. Just then the door opened revealing Maria.

"Hi!" She greeted sweetly.

"Hey mom," Gabriella replied. Troy stood behind Gabriella nervously as she hugged her mother, before turning towards Troy.

"Mom this is Troy, Troy, this is my mom, Maria."

"Pleasure to meet you Ms. Montez," Troy smiled, shaking her hand.

"You too Troy. And call me Maria."

"Ok, and thank you for letting Gabi be with me." Maria and Gabriella smiled at his sincere thank you.

"Well, I just want what's best for her, and after hearing the things you said, it was pretty much clear that you were." Gabriella and Troy smiled at each other, right before Craig walked in. Gabriella greeted him with a hug, before introducing him to Troy.

"I'm a big fan, you played so well on Friday," Craig complimented making Troy smile.

"Thank you."

"Well, why don't we go to the kitchen so I can finish dinner." They all nodded before making their way to the kitchen.

"Can I get you two something to drink?" Craig asked as soon as they entered. "Beer? Wine?"

"I'll have a glass of wine," Gabriella replied and he nodded.

"What about you Troy?"

"Water would be great. No drinking for me."

"Really?" Craig asked, interested as he got the drinks.

"Yeah, we had a dry season in college, and after a bad experience my rookie year, I realized why." They all chuckled lightly. Once the laughter died down, Maria's smile remained on her face due to the way Troy had casually pulled her daughter onto his lap.

"So is your family here in LA Troy?" Maria asked.

"No they're in Albuquerque where I grew up," he replied.

"Do they ever get to come out for games?" Craig added.

"Only on breaks, my younger sister and brother are still in school there so they can't come out too much." Maria and Craig nodded. "But my Dad watches every game. I swear to god the man still thinks he's my coach."

"I know what that's like," Gabriella said, giving her mom a look.

"I am your coach!" she defended.

"You weren't when I was in high school."

"Well I'm sorry for wanting the best for you Gabi," she replied sarcastically.

"I'm just kidding mom."

"Good. So I never asked, who knows about you two?"

"Sharpay, Tay, and Kels," Gabriella replied and Maria nodded.

"My best friend and the team," Troy added and Maria's eyes widened.

"The entire team?"

"Yeah but there is nothing to worry about. What happens in the locker room…"

"Stays in the locker room," Craig finished and Troy smiled at him.

"Exactly."

"Well if you say so. Anyway, I've heard Gabi's side of the story, what about you Troy?" Gabriella and Troy both smiled slightly.

"Well, you probably know how we met," he began and Maria nodded. "Well she avoided me like the plague and I was pretty confused, cause I hadn't done anything. I confronted her about it, she told me that she was a Laker Girl and I told her that I loved a challenge. Then every time we saw each other, I liked her more, so I guess I kinda courted her."

"Kinda?" Gabriella asked with raised eyebrows and they all laughed.

"Ok, I did. Is there a problem with that?" Gabriella just smiled widely.

"No."

**--**

"So that wasn't a complete disaster, was it?" Gabriella asked as they walked back to Troy's car later that night. The dinner had gone by flawlessly, leading Maria to approve of Troy even more.

"No," he admitted. "And don't say I told you so."

"Wouldn't think of it," she replied with a cheeky smile and he just shook his head. They got in the car and Gabriella yawned. "Jeez, what time is it?"

"Almost midnight." After dinner the four had gone into the living room and talked and talked until they all started to get tired. "You want me to take you to your apartment?" She shook her head as Troy drove off.

"My car is at your place."

"You can hardly keep your eyes open babe, you shouldn't drive."

"I don't have a choice."

"You could stay at my place." Gabriella's head whipped towards him, now awake due to the shock of his suggestion.

"What?" Seeing her surprised look he, scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Sorry…I just…it was just an idea."

"Troy…"

"I promise, I didn't mean it like that. I know we are taking things slow in that department, which I'm perfectly fine with. I mean I would sleep in the guest room…and…" Gabriella could help but smile at Troy's nervous rant.

"Troy…it's okay." He turned to her in shock.

"It is? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. And you're right. I shouldn't drive, so yes, I'd love to stay over." Troy just smiled widely.

**Please Review!!!**


	11. Life As Troy Bolton's Girlfriend

**Dreams or Desire**

**A/N: I usually post a chapter no less every other day, but because I got so many great reviews, I figured why not post it today, so I hope you like it!!**

"Hey boys!" Gabriella exclaimed as she walked into the living room, where Troy, Jordan, and Luke were watching Sports Center. The three of them turned to her.

"Hey babe."

"Hey Gabs."

"You went grocery shopping?" Troy asked, noticing the bag in her hand. Many people would think this is weird, but in the past three months in which Troy and Gabriella had been together, this became a normal occurence. After the first time Gabriella stayed at Troy's, she was over there more and more. And ever since the two decided they were ready to share a bed, where they both realized that they loved going to sleep and waking up next to each other, she was practically living there. Anyways, anyone would rather live in a Beverly Hills mansion, than a small apartment on a college campus.

"Yeah. There are a bunch of bags in the car, can you boys go grab them." They all replied with positive answers, before getting up.

"What car did you take?" Troy asked, right before he left the room.

"The Range Rover." He nodded before making his way to the garage. Another plus to being Troy Bolton's girlfriend, access to five different luxury cars, including a Range Rover, Mercedes convertible, Escalade, Audi R8, and a Bentley Continental GT. Gabriella found the Escalade way too big, and didn't have the guts to drive a $400,000 car that she didn't own, therefore usually stuck with the Mercedes and the Range Rover, depending on what kind of mood she was in, and where she was going, for it would be pretty ridiculous to show up to Organic Chemistry in a $100,000 Mercedes. Shopping with Sharpay, totally different situation. The only time she didn't drive one of his cars was to rehearsal, for it would look pretty suspicious. Gabriella began to put away the groceries, and a few minutes later the boys walked in, all carrying multiple bags.

"Damn babe. You went all out."

"Have you seen the pantry, it's practically empty."

"I wonder why," Troy replied, shooting a look at Luke and Jordan, which just made them laugh.

"So what do you guys want for dinner tonight?" Gabriella asked. Jordan's eyes lit up.

"It's Gabi's turn to make dinner tonight! Suh-weet!" Jordan exclaimed. Gabriella giggled, and Troy just shook his head. Yes, Troy and Gabriella took turns making dinner. In fact, they had developed a routine that would make anyone easily think that they were a married couple. Considering Gabriella's rehearsals were at night, Troy would make an early dinner for the two of them, while she got some studying done. When she didn't have rehearsal, or a late class, Gabriella would make dinner. In addition, if Troy had a game the next day, she would prepare a healthy lunch that he could easily heat up. The games were usually at 7:30, so Troy would eat dinner at the arena and Gabriella would get something quick with Sharpay. When the boys were over, it was usually just a free for all.

"Enchiladas!" Luke then exclaimed and Gabriella laughed.

"Ok," she replied as they continued to put away the groceries.

"Animal crackers! For sure!" They all laughed at Luke's excited statement when he pulled the animal crackers out of the pantry.

"So you guys excited for tomorrow?" Gabriella asked after the laughter died down. The next day was one of the annual Lakers charity events. Both the team and the cheerleaders went to a children's hospital to hang out with the kids.

"For what? Spending the entire day with the Laker Girls, or spending an entire day watching Troy do everything he can to keep his hands off of you," Jordan replied. Gabriella giggled and blushed as Troy glared at Jordan.

--

"Tomorrow's gonna be torture," Troy groaned wrapping his arms around Gabriella from behind, as she removed her make up. She turned around and gave him a look.

"No, you know what is torture? Being 5 years old and stuck in a hospital bed after hours of chemotherapy instead of playing on a swing set like most of the kids your age."

"Yeah, you're right," he sighed. "But I'm worried about you too."

"Why?" she asked confused.

"I hate to bring this up, but the last time you were in a hospital …" She sighed and looked down.

"I know," she mumbled.

"You've been acting like it is fine, and that you are excited too, but I know you babe. I know you are worried too." She took a deep breath and looked up.

"I am, but I can handle it. It's been 4 years."

"Gabi…" he began to protest, and she shook her head.

"I'd be lying if I said it's gonna be easy, but like I said, I can handle it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she replied confidently.

"Ok." He bent down and gave her a soft kiss. Just as he was about to deepen it, she quickly pulled away.

"Oh! I forgot! I need to show you something!" She moved out of his grasp, and he stood there frozen, his lips still puckered, confused as to what just happened. It wasn't until she ran into the bathroom, did he turn around.

"What is it?"

"Look what I'm wearing tomorrow!" She removed a shirt from behind her back and held it up for him. His jaw dropped as soon as he saw it. It was a miniscule version of a Laker jersey. And it had his number on it. "My mom was handing them out and gave it to me!"

"I don't know what's sexier. This or your regular uniform." Gabriella giggled as he placed his hands on her hips and kissed her once again. This time she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss before he could even try. He obviously responded, before lifting her off the ground, leading her to wrap her legs around his waist. He walked them over to the bed, before putting her down lightly. Without removing their lips from one another's they maneuvered themselves so they were at the top of the bed. Troy placed his hand on her hip before moving it up under one of his many basketball shirts that she was wearing. However, he could not get to his desired destination, for right as he reached her ribcage, she pulled away. He immediately looked at her confused.

"What?"

"Not tonight."

"Why not?" he whined and she rolled her eyes.

"Cause we both have to be up at 7 AM."

"But baby…" he protested in the same whiney tone, trying to change her mind, by placing kisses on her neck. "If we don't it's gonna be even harder for me to not come up to you and rip that jersey right off of you." She once again rolled his eyes.

"Good, it will teach you some self control." He stopped his attack on her neck, and looked into her eyes with a glare, leading her to give him a cheeky smile. She reached up and kissed him quickly. "Come on let's go to sleep."

"Fine," he groaned making her giggle. He got up from on top of her, and got under the covers just as she did. Right as she turned to her side, with her back to him, he wrapped his arm around her, spooning her. He then kissed her shoulder.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered. She didn't need to say anything, just intertwine her fingers with his, and snuggle into him.

--

Troy looked over to his left and sighed. His girlfriend was sitting on the side of a bed that a young child, who didn't deserve to be sick, with a smile on her face. The child also had a smile on her face, and he could tell that Gabriella was cheering her up. But he could also see that he smile was fake, and there was a sense of sadness in her eyes. And as the day had gone on, he noticed that everything was getting harder and harder by the moment. He discretely watched as she got up to what he assumed to talk to another kid, but went to her mother instead. Troy froze as Maria comfortingly hugged her daughter. He then saw Maria ask her something, which led Gabriella to nod. Maria then said something to Kelly, who gave Gabriella a sympathetic look, before escorting her daughter out of the room. He immediately walked up to a Jordan.

"Gabriella's upset, if anyone asks I'm in the bathroom." Jordan just nodded, and Troy thanked him before walking out. He made his way down the bland hospital hallway, looking back and forth, trying to see if he could find Gabriella. He finally heard the sound of tears, and looked to see Gabriella crying into her mom's chest in a small hallway. He looked right and left to see if anyone was watching, before approaching her. Maria just turned to him as he walked up, not saying anything. He placed his hand on Gabriella's head, and began to run it through her hair softly. Once he did, she turn away from her mother's chest to look at him. He looked at her with sad eyes, before kissing the top of her head.

"I miss him so much," she cried.

"We know baby," Troy said softly.

"And it's okay," Maria added. Gabriella nodded, sniffled and wiped away her tears. "You don't have to go back in there if you don't want to sweetie." She took a deep breath.

"No, it's okay. I should," she replied.

"Are you sure babe?" Troy asked.

"Yeah."

"Ok, well I'm gonna go back in there." Gabriella nodded, before he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

--

"You okay baby?" Troy asked, looking down at the girl whose head was in his lap.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"Ok," he responded, even though he knew that she was still a little upset. But he knew that pressing it would be a bad idea, so he just turned his attention back to the basketball game that they were watching.

"What's he doing?" Gabriella asked. One of the players, as he was running down the court had raised his index finger in the air, and turned it towards the stand.

"It's some kinda signal that he and his wife have." Gabriella couldn't help but smile slightly.

"That's sweet."

"Yeah." Gabriella's smile then widened and she turned so she was no longer on her side, but her back.

"Can we have a signal?" He smiled down on her.

"Sure."

"Really?" she asked excited.

"Yeah. But I won't be able to look you in the eye."

"That's the point. So what's it gonna be?" Troy thought for a second before smiling.

"You'll see tomorrow."

"But then I won't know what it is!"

"Oh, you'll know."

**Please Review!!! What do you think the signal is gonna be? I know a few of you were expecting to see the first night they stayed together in this chapter, but I want to keep this story as original as possible, and I think everyone has seen, she borrows his clothes, he tells her how hot she looks in them, etc. **


	12. The Signal

**Dreams or Desire**

**A/N: First off, thanks to everyone for the amazing reviews. Second, I'm afraid I didn't make something clear in the last chapter. The reason it was hard for Gabriella at the hospital was because the last time she was in the hospital was when her Dad died four years prior. Now that it is cleared up, I hope you like this chapter!**

Gabriella giggled in an excited manner as she and 9 other Laker Girls took their position at the baseline.

"What's gotten into you?" Sharpay asked confused.

"You'll see!" She gave Gabriella a weird look, but Gabriella just giggled once again. Sharpay shook it off, before turning towards the court, where the players had taken their positions for the tip off. A few moments later, the referee tossed the ball up in the air, and Andrew Bynum as well as the center for the Hornets jumped up in the air. Andrew tapped the ball first, and it flew towards Troy, who caught it. All the girls cheered that their team had got the ball, except for Gabriella who cheered at the fact that it was Troy who had caught the ball.

--

An hour later, Gabriella and Sharpay were walking through the tunnel to go onto the court for the second half. Sharpay turned to Gabriella to see that she no longer had the same excited look on her face.

"You okay?" Gabriella turned to her friend, pretending to be oblivious.

"Yeah? Of course!"

"Ok, just making sure." Truth was, she wasn't fine. She wasn't upset, she was just disappointed. An entire half had gone by and she had yet to see Troy do any kind of signal. The two girls, with their fellow teammates walked through the arena, before splitting up, one half going to one baseline, the other going to the opposite one. They sat down and made small talk before the game started up once again. It was the Lakers ball, so they made Luke passed it into Jordan, who dribbled it down the court, in their direction, considering the teams had switched sides. Nineteen thousand pairs of eyes watched as the ball was passed between the five players on the court, eventually landing in Troy's hands. Considering there was little time left on the shot clock, he pulled up and shot the ball from behind the three-point line. It went in with ease, leading not only the Laker Girls, but the entire arena to get up and cheer. Gabriella watched with a smile on her face as Troy ran backwards towards the other end of the court. As she sat back down, she saw her boyfriend look in her direction, but not directly at her, touch his fingers to his lips and lift his arms up in the air, as if he was shooting the ball. Her heart skipped a beat. The signal. It was perfect. She snapped out of her dreamy thoughts, when she felt a swat on her arm. She turned to see Sharpay looking at her, shocked.

"Are you kidding me?" Gabriella just giggled and shook her head.

--

"I can't believe he did it every time he made a three!" Sharpay said murmured to Gabriella, as they got their stuff together after the game, which the Lakers had won.

"I...kn…" Gabriella was cut off when they heard Kelly's voice. The two of them, as well as the entire team.

"Good job tonight ladies, I'll see you tomorrow, but first I need to speak to the girls who were sitting on the home bench baseline, the rest of you are free to go." All of the girls looked at each other, confused, and many shrugged. Gabriella turned to Sharpay, who shrugged. After all the other girls left, the ten girls sat down, and all froze to see that Kelly's expression had turned into one that made it clear that she was not happy.

"I'm sure you all noticed Mr. Bolton's little gesture after every 3 pointer he made tonight, while he was facing your side." Gabriella tensed up and her heart began to race, she had no idea that Kelly would ever figure it out, considering he didn't even look at them, instead the stands behind them. "At first I thought nothing on it, however I over heard his interview after the game in which the reporter asked him about it. He replied that it was for his girl, and refused to mention who she was." Even at the sound of his sweet words, Gabriella continued to freak out. "I thought I made it clear after the People…" Gabriella was so panicked at this point that before she knew it she had opened her mouth and interrupted Kelly. All the other girls looked at her in shock, as well as Kelly.

"Yes Gabriella?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"I understand why you are upset, but with all do respect, you really don't have anything to worry about, he has a girlfriend."

"Well obviously, considering he told the reporter that it was for 'his girl'," Kelly shot back.

"No…I mean his girlfriend…her name's…Taylor…she goes to UCLA."

"And you know this how?" Everyone looked at Gabriella, all wondering the same thing.

"She is in one of my classes, and she was on my floor freshman year. She knew I was a Laker Girl so before they started going out she asked me about him. I told him that I didn't know anything about him because we weren't allowed to talk to the players. The reason he was looking in our direction was because she was sitting a few rows behind us." Gabriella's heart race as Kelly contemplated the completely made up story.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry girls, it won't happen again." Gabriella did her best to not let out a massive sigh of relief as most of the girls replied with an 'It's ok' or 'No problem'.

"Oh my god! How the hell did you come up with that so quickly?" Sharpay asked as they made their way to their cars.

"I have no idea," she replied, just as shocked as Sharpay that she was able to do so.

"Gabriella!" Both girls turned to see Maria approaching them.

"Hey mom, what's up?"

"Can I speak to you for a second? Privately."

"Yeah, sure," she replied. She and Sharpay said their goodbyes, before turning back to her mother. "So what's up?"

"Kelly just told me about that little story you told her." Gabriella froze at her mother's upset tone. "I mean really Gabriella? You've known Kelly since you were born. It's one thing keeping a massive secret and breaking her biggest rule, but completely lying to her face! I'm very disappointed in you Gabriella."

"I'm sorry mom, I completely panicked, I didn't know what else to do. I just don't wanna lose him," Gabriella replied in a pleading tone and Maria sighed.

"I know you don't sweetie, but that doesn't mean you have to be making up stories to cover it up."

"I know," Gabriella mumbled, with her head town.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok." The two women hugged before Maria walked off. Gabriella sighed, before getting into her car.

--

"Honey!!! I'm home!!!" Even though she was not necessarily in a good mood, she giggled as she heard Troy walk into the house. She turned her head as he walked into the living room.

"You've always wanted to say that, haven't you?"

"Yeah," he admitted sheepishly and she giggled again, before he kissed her lightly.

"So did you like it?" He asked in an excited tone as he sat next to her on the couch. At his mention of the signal, Gabriella's face fell. "You didn't?"

"No, no," she snapped up. "I did. I loved it. It's just…"

"What?" Gabriella sighed.

"Kelly noticed it, and she pulled me and the girls on the home baseline aside."

"Shit! What did she say?"

"She couldn't say much…cause I…" Gabriella replied sadly, clearly feeling guilty. Seeing this, Troy placed his hand on his girlfriend's.

"What did you do baby?" he asked softly and she took a deep breath.

"I made up an entire story where you had a girlfriend who goes to UCLA named Taylor, who I knew, and that you were only looking in our direction because she was sitting a few rows behind us."

"Taylor? I mean she's not really my type, you couldn't have gone with Kelsi?" Gabriella narrowed her eyes at him, and he chuckled, even though it was obvious that didn't she find his joke funny. "I'm sorry babe, I just think you are making a bigger deal of this than it really is."

"You're saying I'm over estimating things?" She exclaimed, standing up, and his eyes widened in shock at her sudden outburst. "I lied to a woman who I've known since I was born and made my dream come true! And of course she told my mom, who isn't angry, no, she is 'so disappointed in me.' The last thing anyone wants to hear from their mother!"

"I know you feel bad baby…" he said softly, standing up. "But you were in a stressful position and sometimes when people panic they say stupid things."

"So now I'm stupid! Thanks Troy! That's real sweet!" Before Troy knew it, Gabriella had stormed out of the room.

"What the hell just happened?" He asked himself, confused. He thought about it for a few more moments before shaking off his confusion and going up to the bedroom, where an annoyed Gabriella was getting ready for bed.

"I didn't mean to call you stupid babe," he started, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "It just seemed like that's what you thought." He then placed his mouth right at her ear. "And by the way, you look really sexy in my shirt." She rolled her eyes and turned around, stepping back, and releasing herself from his grasp.

"So do you think it was stupid or not?"

"I don't think it's stupid, probably not the most brilliant thing in the word to do, because it is making you upset, but you did it for us, and that means a lot," he replied sincerely.

"You know I liked you a lot more when you were cocky and arrogant and couldn't convince me that I shouldn't hate you," she replied in a dead serious tone and he chuckled.

"You want cocky? I think there is something you forgot to say," he replied with his eyebrows raised.

"You were awful tonight. Your shooting was off and you couldn't get a rebound."

"Thanks babe."

"Anytime."

**Please Review!!! So you got a little drama in that chapter, I hope you liked it. Congrats to . who was the only one that figured out that the signal was from 17 Again.**


	13. NBA Housewife?

**Dreams or Desire**

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the great reviews! I'm almost at 300 so please keep it up!**

* * *

Gabriella sighed as she climbed into her car. The Lakers had just lost, and Troy hadn't played as well as he could have. This meant that she would not be dealing with a happy Troy. As she made her way out of the parking lost, her cell phone rang. After pulling it out, she saw that it was Taylor.

"Hello," she answered.

"Hey babe, what's up?" Taylor asked in a cheery tone.

"Not much, just leaving the game."

"Oh! How was it?"

"Bad, they lost," Gabriella replied sadly.

"That sucks."

"Yeah."

"So do you wanna come over today?"

"I would, but I have a bunch of stuff to do."

"Like what?" Taylor asked confused.

"Go to In and Out, then I have to make sure the house is clean, hide the TV remotes, and some other stuff before he gets home."

"What? Why?" A look of confusion graced Gabriella's face at her best friend's shocked tone.

"Because he likes to have something to eat when he gets home, if the house isn't clean, he will get even more stressed, and if the remotes aren't hidden, he'll watch Sports Center, which will make him more upset."

"Why is that your job?"

"Because I'm his girlfriend and it's what makes him feel better," Gabriella replied, still confused.

"Don't you think just being with you should be enough?" Gabriella's eyes narrowed, even more perplexed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you shouldn't have to wait on him. It's like you are doing them because he will get upset if you don't," Taylor replied, scoffing slightly. "You guys have been going out for like 4 months and you are acting like an NBA housewife!"

"What the hell is an NBA housewife?" Gabriella shot back offended.

"Please Gabriella, you clean his house, cook him dinner, buy the groceries, and what do you get in return? The ability to drive a luxury car, and to live in a Beverly Hills mansion, which truthfully is more beneficial to him than it is to you." Gabriella's jaw hit the floor.

"So pretty much he only lets me live with him because I'm a good fuck and can cook and I occasionally tidy things up, and I only do those things cause I'm too scared he will break up with me if I don't, because I'm a good digging whore!"

"Gabriella…"

"You know what Taylor, he cooks dinner for me just as much as I cook it for him, which is a lot more than I can say for Chad, and I am always at his house because I can't be with him anywhere else, so why don't you just go fuck yourself." Without another word, a very pissed off Gabriella hung up the phone. Not wanting to let Taylor's words effect her, she continued on with her normal routine. It wasn't until she sat down at the island in the kitchen, did she start taking Taylor's words in. She could not believe that the girl she thought of as her best friend in the whole world, had the nerve to say those things. She just stared at the food in front of her until she heard the door open. She looked up to see her boyfriend walk in. Taylor's words suddenly no longer mattered, the only thing that did was her upset boyfriend.

"Hey babe," she greeted softly.

"Hey," he mumbled, as he put his bag down. She sighed and walked up to him.

"You played great," she said, placing one hand on his stomach and the other on his hip. He just shook his head. "Yes you did. You can't win them all." He nodded. "Do you want something to eat? I got In and Out." To upset, he just nodded once again. "Ok, let me just heat it up." She kissed his cheek softly before going to the microwave, and he sat down in one of the stools. He buried his head in his hands and didn't look up until Gabriella placed his food in front of him. He didn't say thank you, just began to eat, which made Gabriella start to think about what Taylor said. She went back to her food, and they ate there in silence until Gabriella couldn't take it anymore.

"Do you think I'm turning into an NBA housewife?" Troy's head popped up and for the first time he didn't look upset, but shocked.

"What?" She sighed and turned back to her food. "What makes you think that?"

"Taylor said I am," she mumbled.

"Why would she do that?" He asked, in a high pitched, surprised tone.

"Cause I practically live here, and cause I clean and cook, and drive your cars. She pretty much said that you only keep me here because I'm a good fuck and cause I clean sometimes, and cook, and that I only do it cause I'm scared you are gonna break up with me if I don't, cause I am a gold digging whore." She didn't look up once, too upset.

"And you believe her?!" She sighed and shook her head.

"No, of course not. I just don't get why she would say those things. It hurts." It was now his turn to sigh.

"Come here." He patted his lap, and she immediately did as told. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his around her waist. "I have no idea why she would say those things, but you know that you could be the most awful cook and messiest person in the world and I would still love you. You practically live here because there is nothing more I want than to wake up to you every morning. You mean so much to me, and I would never ever think of you as a gold digger. Okay?" Gabriella nodded into his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head. One moment later she froze in shock.

"Wait…"

"What?" She removed her head from his shoulder and looked at him, extremely surprised.

"You said even if I was a bad cook and messy person you would still love me." His face paled and he froze.

"No…no…I didn't." A wide smile came across her face.

"Yes you did. You love me," she replied in a teasing, sing song voice. His face turned bright red and he couldn't help but laugh, embarrassed.

"If I said that I did, would you say that you love me?" He asked flirtatiously.

"Yes," she giggled.

"Then…" He started, moving in so his lips were centimeters from hers. "I love you." She smiled against his lips.

"I love you too." He smiled back before capturing her lips with his. He stood up, not removing his lips from hers, leading her to wrap her legs around his waist. They kissed with extreme passion as he walked her up to the bedroom.

--

Before either of them knew it, they were naked in bed, after a few rounds of amazing sex. Gabriella snuggled into her boyfriend, placing her cheek on his chest, and wrapping her arms around him. He smiled widely and kissed the top of her head.

"What'cha thinking about?" He asked softly.

"I don't know if I will ever be able to completely forgive her. The fact that she thinks of me like that…"

"I would be surprised if you could, but just think of it this way, look how much stronger it made things between us." Gabriella couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Yeah."

"How did it start anyway?" He asked curiously.

"She invited me over and I said I couldn't because of the game, and that I needed to do some stuff for you. She said that I shouldn't need to do anything but be there for you, and that I was only doing them cause I thought you would be mad if I didn't," she mumbled and he looked down at her in shock.

"She actually thought that I would be mad if you didn't get me In and Out?!" Gabriella just nodded. He sighed and pulled her closer. "Well she is right about one thing. All you need to do is be he for me. All that other stuff is you just being the sweet amazing girl you are." She blushed and smiled slightly. She reached up so her lips were right in front of his.

"I love you." He smiled against her lips.

"I love you too."

**Please Review!!! If some are you confused about what I meant by an NBA Housewife, it is kinda just saying that she is only with him cause he is in the NBA and doesn't do anything else but shop and live off of his money. **


	14. Could Kelly Be Right?

**Dreams or Desire**

"I gotta tell you down by 15, can't make a shot, one look at those Laker Girls, it's like it's all okay," Jordan said in a dreamy tone as the guys got dressed in the locker room after a game. They had been down by a lot and had come back to win, so they were all in a pretty good mood. They all laughed.

"I hope when you say Laker Girls, you don't mean my girl," Troy replied and the guys chuckled once again.

"No Troy. Even if Gabs wasn't like my sister, I wouldn't look at 'your girl' for moral support."

"Good."

"Too bad we can't thank them," Trevor added.

"That would go over well, 'Hey Kelly we just want to tell the girls that we are thankful that they are gorgeous and if it wasn't for their skimpy outfits we'd lose every game,'" Luke replied sarcastically, leading all the guys to laugh.

"We can get them something." The guys looked at each other, all realizing that Jordan had pretty good idea.

* * *

_I'm spendin my money_

_I'm out of control_

_Somebody help me_

_She's takin my bank roll._

_But I'm king of the club_

_And I'm wearin the crown_

_Poppin these bottles_

_Touchin these models_

_Watchin they asses go down down_

_You spin my head right round, right round_

_When you go down, when you go down down_

Maria Montez pressed the pause button on the iPod that was playing the rap song through the speakers, leading the twenty girls, all clad in matching sports bras and bootie shorts, to stop dancing.

"That was better. Not good but better. You guys are still dancing the way you would dance to a song by Miley Cyrus," Maria said seriously and the girls just nodded. "Okay…" Just then the door to the studio opened, and everyone turned their heads to see Troy hesitantly walk in, followed by Jordan and Luke. All the girls eyes widened, many of them giggled, Sharpay smirked, and Gabriella just smiled in surprise. Maria raised her eyebrows, amused at the fact that her daughter's boyfriend had just walked into the room, as Kelly narrowed her eyes at the boys.

"Can I help you gentleman," Kelly asked, clearly unhappy with the surprise visit.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt Ms. Finglass," Troy started. "We're here on behalf of the entire team. We know we're not supposed to talk to the girls…"

"So we wanted to ask you if you would tell the girls that we are very appreciative of their support," Jordan continued and the girls smiled and giggled.

"And that we look forward to their support in the post-season," Luke added.

"And to show our gratitude, the team has something for the girls, so if you could just pass it on to them, that would be great." Troy placed the shopping bag that he had been holding right in front of the mirror.

"I'll be sure to do that," she replied deadpan and the guys smiled.

"Thanks!" Jordan and Luke exclaimed in unison as they began to leave the room. Troy glanced at the girls, locking eyes with his girlfriend for a split second. She just smiled as he made his way out the door.

"Oh, Ms. Finglass?" Jordan asked, right before leaving and Luke and Troy looked at him confused.

"Yes, Mr. Farmar?" she asked back, now even more annoyed.

"Is there any way you would consider abolishing the rule that says we can't talk or date the girls?" All the girls giggled and blushed, Maria even couldn't help but shaking her head and laughing, while Luke and Troy just rolled their eyes.

"No Mr. Farmar."

"Well it was worth a try," he replied playfully and she glared at him, as Troy and Luke just grabbed him, before shoving him out the door. As soon as the door closed the girls made their way to the bag, extremely giddy.

"After rehearsal!" Kelly exclaimed forcefully and the girls froze in place. She raised her eyebrows at them, and the girls did everything they could to not let out a disappointed sigh as they returned to their positions.

* * *

"Troy!!!" Gabriella walked into the house, with a smile that had been on her face for the last half an hour. He walked into the foyer, with the same smile. She immediately ran up to him and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"You like it?"

"I love it. It makes me feel so…special," she replied sincerely.

"Well you are." She smiled before giving him a soft, chaste kiss. After she pulled away, she removed her left arm from around his neck and placed her hand on his chest. He smiled at the sight of the ring on her finger, as did she.

"_Ok girls that's it for the night," Kelly said and the girls cheered, happy to be done, but they didn't waste anytime before running over to the shopping bag. They all tried to see what was in it, and the few girls who could, automatically gasped. In the bag were 20 little Tiffany bags, with a name on each one. The girls squealed excited, as a few girls started handing the bags to the girls. The squeals then got louder when they opened up the famous blue box. In it rested a silver ring, with a solid oval. _(pic in profile) _The oval was engraved with the team name in cursive and 2008-2009 on the perimeter. Each girl's name was engraved on the band. All the girls excitedly put on the rings, as Kelly just looked on, still a little annoyed, but couldn't help but find the boys action relatively sweet. Gabriella took the ring out of the box, and was about to put it on, but then noticed something engraved on the inside of the band. As soon as she read it she gasped. On one side it read 'I love you' and '14' on the other. _

"_What?" Sharpay asked off of her best friend's reaction. Gabriella just smiled and handed her the ring. _

"_Look on the inside." Sharpay looked at her confused, but did so anyway._

"_Oh my god," she gushed. Gabriella smiled widely. _

"_I know."_

"So whose idea was this?" Gabriella asked flirtatiously.

"Well I wish I could say it was mine, but it was Jordan's, and the ring selection was a collaboration between me Jordy and Luke. However, the engraving was all me."

"I would hope so," she giggled, which led him to laugh.

"So am I going to get a special thank you?" he asked suggestively and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh so that's how it is. You got it for me because you thought you would get something in return?" She asked back with her eyebrows raised.

"Well…" She gasped hit his chest. "Ow!!" She just narrowed her eyes at him. "Come on baby, you know I'm kidding. I don't need anything in return. Just seeing you wear it is good enough for me." She smiled widely before kissing him softly. "Now come on, I made us dinner." He placed her down and they made their way to the kitchen. After putting the chicken and vegetables he made on two plates, they sat down at the kitchen table.

"So I've been thinking…" Gabriella started.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe when the season is over we could go up to Albuquerque for a little bit. The next few months are going to be so crazy and stressful, I thought it might be a good place to go and relax. Plus, we will be able to actually be in the same vicinity as each other in a public place." He smiled widely.

"Sounds perfect."

"Good. We'd obviously have to wait to book tickets because we don't know for sure when the season will end," she replied and immediately regretted it, when he gave her a look. "Sorry…I just meant…"

"That we might lose?"

"Well…umm there's no guarantees…"

"Do you think we are going to lose?" he asked, even more offended.

"No Troy! I was just saying…of course I have faith that you guys will win."

"Doesn't sound like it," he mumbled.

"Are you serious Troy? You really think I'm sitting here thinking, oh they are definitely going to lose, but I don't know when, which is why I we shouldn't book plane tickets yet? Even you know there is not a 100% chance of you guys winning."

"Of course I know that, but you are a cheerleader, you are my cheerleader, you are supposed to make me feel like we can win."

"And I will. I was just stating a fact! Of course I am going to support you 100% not only as a cheerleader but as a girlfriend too."

"Good," he replied deadpan and she sighed. "You think this is why we aren't supposed to date?"

"Because it is hard to separate your job from your personal life when you practically work together? We can't get distracted, and mixing business with pleasure can definitely get distracting. And if there are two jobs where you can't distracted it is ours. So yeah."

"Well then we are pretty much screwed, huh?"

"If you focus on winning and I focus on helping you do so, I think we'll be fine." Troy couldn't help but smile.

"Ok." He placed his hand on hers and squeezed it gently, making her smile. "Damn that was scary. I almost has to admit that Kelly is right." Gabriella just giggled.

"Kelly is right about a lot of things, but she's definitely not right about this."

**Please Review!! Hope you liked it! Next chapter will be Gabriella and Troy in Albuquerque. Find out how the Lakers did in the playoffs, what is going on between Taylor and Gabriella, and what Gabriella is going to do about next season. What do you think she is going to pick? Her Dreams or her Desire? **

**P.S. Make sure to check out the new chapter of I Know What It's Like!!**


	15. I Try

**Dreams or Desire**

"Troy! Gabriella!" Lucy Bolton exclaimed, opening the door to the Bolton home.

"Hey mom," Troy replied with a weak smile, before hugging his mom. As he did, Lucy looked over her son's shoulder at Gabriella, who nodded sadly. Once the mother and son pulled away from the hug, Lucy greeted Gabriella with a hug as well. Lucy and Gabriella had become very close when the family came to L.A. for Christmas. She had even bonded with Maria, and although she was too embarrassed to say it out loud, Gabriella was convinced that the two mothers were already planning the wedding. Just as the two hugged, Jack walked into the room.

"Troy! Gabriella! You are here!" He exclaimed, walking towards them. He clapped hands with his son and they gave each other a man hug. "It's not your fault son, you played great."

"Thanks Dad," he mumbled and Gabriella sighed at the mention of the Laker's loss in the Western Conference Finals, but quickly put on a fake smile as she and Jack exchanged pleasantries.

"Troy!!!!!" They all turned to see the youngest Bolton running into the room with a massive smile on his face. Gabriella's smile turned into a genuine one as Troy's eyes lit up for the first time in a week. It had warmed her heart the first time she saw the two brothers together, and it did once again, seeing them reunite. It was so sweet to see how much Michael looked up to Troy, and how much Troy cared for his little brother.

"Hey big guy!" Troy scooped him up into his arms and Michael threw his arms around Troy's neck, hugging him tightly.

"I miss you Troy!!!" Troy smiled and bounced the 4 year old on his hip.

"I missed you too buddy."

"Can we pway basketball?" Michael then asked with hope in his eyes.

"Of course! But first I think you have to say hi to someone." He turned Michael so he could see Gabriella, and his eyes lit up.

"Gabi!!!"

"Hey sweetie. Excited to play basketball with your brother?" she asked playfully and Michael nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Ok, why don't you go put your shoes on while I put my stuff upstairs."

"Otay!" Troy put him down and they all chuckled as Michael sprinted up the stairs.

About ten minutes later, Gabriella found herself in the kitchen watching Troy and Michael play basketball. She couldn't help but smile as Troy lifted Michael up so he could dunk the ball, even though she knew that Troy was still upset.

"So, how's he holding up?" Gabriella whipped her head around to see that Lucy had walked into the kitchen.

"He's ok," she sighed. "At this point it's not as much about the fact that they lost, but about the fact that the season is over. He misses it. Being here will be good for him, he'll be able to get his mind off of it." Lucy just nodded.

"What about you?"

"I'm fine. Being a Laker Girl isn't my life, so it hasn't been that bad."

"That's good, have you decided what you are going to do about next year?"

"No, I've thought a lot about it, but I need to talk to Troy before I make a decision, and right now anything related to the Lakers is a touchy subject."

"Well I'm sure you'll make the right decision," Lucy replied in an encouraging tone and Gabriella smiled. "Anyway, how has everything else been? Glad the school year is over?"

"You have no idea," she replied and Lucy chuckled. "Between playoffs, and finals, and Taylor…" Lucy cut off Gabriella by looking at her confused.

"Taylor? Your friend I met at the Christmas Party? The one that is dating Chad?"

"Yeah," Gabriella sighed. "We're not really on speaking terms, and we have some classes together, so it really sucked."

"What happened? You two seemed so close."

"We were. Then she implied that I'm only with Troy because it means I get to stay in a Beverly Hills mansion, and drive a luxury car, and that I cook because he will get mad if I don't and kick me out. Oh, and she pretty much added that Troy keeps me around because I'm like a maid, except for the fact that he can sleep with me," Gabriella replied in a bitter tone.

"Wow. Why would she say something like that?"

"I have no idea! I mean it is bad enough that she thinks our relationship isn't based on feelings, but then the fact that she actually thinks I'm the kind of person to be with a guy just because he is the NBA…it really hurts."

"Oh, I'm so sorry sweetie. Has she tried to apologize?" Gabriella shook her head.

"No, and she won't. She's too stubborn. I wouldn't be surprised if she still thought of me like that."

"Well if she does, she doesn't know you as well as a best friend should," Lucy replied in the tone that all mothers speak in when giving advice.

"I know, it just sucks because we've been friends for so long. I know that no matter what happens nothing will ever be the same as it was before. And in some ways, I don't really care. I have other people who I can tell anything too. I mean this one girl Sharpay, she was a Laker Girl too, and even though I've known her for less than a year, I feel like I can tell her things I can't tell Taylor. I just think it would be awful if such a long friendship ended on such a bad note."

"I understand what you are saying, and I'm sure everything will work out one way or another."

"I hope so," she mumbled, and before Lucy could reply they heard a voice coming from the foyer.

"I'm home!!!!"

"The girl always needs to make a grand entrance." Gabriella just giggled. A few seconds later the middle Bolton walked into the kitchen.

"Gabi!!!" Gabriella laughed as she went to hug her boyfriend's younger sister.

"Hey hun, how are you?"

"Great, except for the fact that finals are next week, but at least that means that I only have a week until summer," Chloe replied and Gabriella laughed at the way the 16 year-old spoke in a quick and gossipy manner.

"Well if it isn't my wonderful sister." They both looked to see Troy standing there.

"Hey loser." Troy just narrowed his eyes at his sister, who gave him a sarcastic smile.

"Where'd Michael go?" Lucy asked.

"Upstairs, he wants to show me his new Batman costume." The three couldn't help but laugh.

"Ok. Anyway, where have you been? School ended an hour ago," Lucy all of a sudden asked confused.

"Ooohh someone's in trouble," Troy teased. Lucy and Chloe glared at him as Gabriella just shook her head at her boyfriend's immaturity.

"I was studying in the library for my math final," she replied a little too quickly, turning back to her mother. Before Lucy could reply they heard Troy scoff. Lucy looked at him confused and Chloe narrowed her eyes.

"Some advice sis, next time you come home an hour late because you were making out with a football player in the back of the library, say you were working on a group project. Much more believable," Troy said amused. Lucy gasped, Chloe froze in place as Troy smirked and Gabriella shook her head.

"I knew it!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes narrowing at Troy, who just laughed. She then turned to her daughter. "And you…well lie to me again and you are in serious trouble." Chloe just nodded, before Lucy smiled. "So who's this boy?" Chloe turned to her brother and glared at him, and he smirked.

"I hate you. You know that?"

"Yes, in fact, I do."

--

"This is pretty much where I learned how to play basketball," Troy informed is girlfriend as they walked through the park, which was the last stop of Gabriella's Albuquerque tour.

"Then I'm guessing you spent a lot of time here."

"That's for sure. I think it was here when I first decided that I wanted to play in the NBA," he replied while sitting down on the bench, and she did so as well. He immediately placed an arm around her and pulled her close. "Speaking of dreams, have you decided what you want to do yet?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you first. I mean I'm going to be cheering for you no matter what," she replied and he couldn't help but smile. "It just depends where you want me to do it from, the baseline or the stands."

"That's not my decision, as long as your cheering for me, I'm happy." Gabriella nodded. "It's really about making our relationship public."

"Truthfully, I like the way things are. I know there are times when we want to go out and do something but we can't, but I'm perfectly happy just spending time with you at home. At home we can have a romantic dinner without people staring at us. Plus, I feel that everyone we care about already knows, so why do we need to tell anyone else."

"So baseline it is?" She smiled and nodded, before he kissed her lightly. "I was hoping you'd choose the baseline." She just giggled. "So I guess we have to make the most of not being in LA, except after 3 weeks, we'll probably be pretty bored." She looked at him confused.

"Are you suggesting we go somewhere else?" He smiled and nodded. "Where?"

"Europe would be fun." Her eyes widened.

"Europe! We can't just jet off to Europe!"

"Why not? It will be romantic, it will get my mind off everything, and you will be in shopping heaven."

"You really are serious about this, aren't you?"

"Well how could I possibly say no to a romantic European vacation?" He smiled widely.

"So where do you wanna go?" She couldn't help but squeal, excited.

"God there are so many choices! How about you surprise me?"

"Ok, but can you narrow it down to a country?" She pondered for a second before her eyes lit up.

"Italy!"

"Ok," he chuckled.

"Yay! Oh my god you are the best boyfriend ever!"

"I try."

**Please Review!!! I hope you liked it! And you know what is super cool? I'm on an airplane right now! Virgin America has Wi-Fi on the plane! I'm so excited. Sorry, I'm such a loser. Anyway, considering I have 3 more hours sitting here with nothing to do, I am going to start on the next chapter. So it will most likely be up tonight or tomorrow.**


	16. Expensive Love

**Dreams or Desire**

"Don't be nervous babe." Gabriella turned to her boyfriend and looked at him like he was insane.

"I can I not be nervous. I am going to see my ex-best friend for the first time in like 6 months!" Gabriella exclaimed as the two entered Brett's Malibu beach house for his annual Fourth of July party.

"I know honey, but there are going to be plenty of people here. You won't even have to look at her." Gabriella just nodded and Troy kissed her forehead. He then opened the door to see that the party was already in full swing. They made their way to the patio, hand in hand. After getting drinks and saying hi to a few people they found themselves in a conversation with Brett, his girlfriend Jessica, Luke, Jordan, and his girlfriend, Rebecca. Over the past few months the girls had become relatively close, considering the friendship their boyfriends had with one another.

"Okay, first of all we need to talk about this dress you are wearing," Jessica said in a girly tone, referring to the Emilio Pucci summer dress Gabriella was wearing.

"I agree," Rebecca added. Gabriella giggled, leading Troy to smile at her, and the other boys to roll their eyes.

"_So, what do you wanna do now babe?" Troy asked as they left the Venice café that they had eaten lunch at._

"_Let's just walk around. Explore," she replied with a smile, still not over the fact that she was in Venice. _

"_Sounds perfect." He took her hand in his. _

"_Oh my god that dress is amazing," Gabriella suddenly said, as they walked by the Emilio Pucci's store, who was a famous Italian designer known for his colorful patterns. Troy turned to see the short blue and white summer dress that was on the mannequin. _

"_Well hopefully they have it in your size," he replied. Her eyes widened as he began to walk towards the store. _

"_Are you crazy Troy?" He turned around and looked at her confused. "That dress is at least a thousand dollars!" He rolled his eyes and placed his hands on her waist. _

"_You really think I was gonna take you to Europe and just let you window shop?" he asked with raised eyebrows and she sighed._

"_But Troy, as sweet as it is, if you buy me expensive clothes…" she started in a whiney tone. _

"_You are going to feel like an NBA Housewife?" She just nodded. "Look baby, I know that you aren't with me because of my money, so you aren't some stereotypical trophy wife. I like seeing you in things that I've bought you. It's sexy, it reminds me that you are all mine. I don't care how expensive it is because you deserve nothing but the best there is out there." _

"_So you know that even if you had no money what so ever, I would love you the same amount as I do now?"_

"_Of course I do, which is one of the many reasons why I love you." They smiled at one another, before sharing a loving kiss. "Now, I think you have a dress to try on." Gabriella just giggled as he led her into the store. _

"What can I say? I have an amazing boyfriend," she smiled, leaning into him and placing her hand on his chest.

"I can't believe you bought her a Pucci dress," Jessica said in awe. Troy looked down at Gabriella and smiled.

"Anything for my girl," he replied before kissing the top of her head.

"Wanna stop dude? You're making us look bad," Jordan told Troy, who just chuckled.

"Yeah! Why can't you buy me a Pucci dress?" Jessica asked Brett.

"Well first of all I have no idea but Pucci is, but it sounds pretty expensive, and I'm sorry babe, but I don't make 21 million dollars a year," Brett replied.

"You live on the beach in Malibu, I think you are doing pretty well for yourself," Troy shot back and Brett just glared at him as everyone else laughed.

"Anyway, tell us more! Besides all the amazing shopping you did, what else did you guys do?" Rebecca asked.

"A lot of sight seeing. We were such tourists," Gabriella laughed. "Between all the architecture and the art, everything there is so beautiful."

"Dude, please don't tell me you let her drag you through museums," Jordan asked Troy, groaning.

"He sure did. And he didn't complain once," Gabriella smiled proudly.

"Troy, can you give these boys a lesson on how to be a good boyfriend?" Rebecca asked. Troy and Gabriella laughed as Brett and Jordan glared at Troy.

"I liked you so much better when you were an asshole and a player. We always looked like the good ones," Brett said to Troy.

"I agree," Jordan added.

"Well you guys better get used to it, because that Troy is never coming back. Right babe?" Gabriella asked, looking up at him.

"Of course not," he replied and she smiled, before turning back to their friends.

"And oh my god! The restaurants! Literally it is the best food ever! And every single one was so romantic."

"Well the cities themselves must be so romantic," Jessica asked more than stated.

"That's the best part," Gabriella replied, smiling up at Troy. "Take all the shopping and museums away and it still would've been perfect."

"_God, look at this place, I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful in my life," Gabriella said, as she looked at the gorgeous view of Venice from the rooftop restaurant that Troy had taken her to. _

"_I have," Troy replied, looking into her eyes with a wide smile. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. _

"_The effectiveness of cheesy lines only last for the first few weeks of a relationship." _

"_Can't blame me for trying."_

"_I guess not," she smiled and he reached across the table and took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. "These really have been like the best two weeks of my life, thank…"_

"_I swear to god Bella, if you thank me one more time…" She just giggled and blushed, and her heart fluttered at the sound of his new nickname for her. After being told that bella was Italian for beautiful, and realizing that Bella had somewhat of a relation to his girlfriend's name, Troy had decided that his nickname for her would be Bella. _

"_I know, I just feel bad, I don't know how I could possibly repay you."_

"_Baby you have risked so much to be with me, that's enough for me." _

"Seriously man, I hate you," Jordan stated, glaring at Troy.

"Me too," Brett added.

"Don't worry babe, I still love you," Jessica smiled to Brett kissing his cheek. He just smiled and blushed, and everyone else chuckled.

"So you guys wanna hit the water?" Troy asked.

"You just wanna see Gabs in a bikini," Jordan replied.

"Can you blame me?" he asked back, leading Gabriella to blush. "Come on lets go." The six friends made their way to the edge of the patio.

"Last one there buys next dinner!" Brett exclaimed, and the three boys automatically sprinted towards the ocean, taking off their shirts as they ran. The three girls looked at each other and shook their heads. They removed their cover ups, leading Gabriella to reveal the Pucci bathing suit that matched the dress.

"He bought you a Pucci bathing suit too?" Jessica asked in shock.

"Is it too much?" Gabriella asked worried. "Should I have just worn one or the other?"

"No!" Rebecca exclaimed. "It's so cute and you look amazing! I would do the same exact thing!"

"It doesn't look like I'm showing off?"

"Oh shut up Gabs," Jessica replied, rolling her eyes. "There is nothing wrong with wearing a designer bikini." Gabriella just smiled and nodded. The girls made their way to the ocean, and as they did, they walked right past Taylor. As the two former best friends made eye contact, Taylor shot Gabriella a death glared, who just rolled her eyes at the action. Not wanting to deal with it, Gabriella just turned to her other friends. The three walked onto the beach to see their boyfriends arguing who won the race, making them shake their heads. The boys then caught the sighed their bikini clad girlfriends, and immediately stopped arguing. They glanced at each other, before running towards their respective girlfriends. All the girls squealed in surprise as their boyfriends picked them up and carried them into the ocean. Once they were waist deep, the boys let go of the girls, dropping them into the water. Gabriella giggled, before Troy grabbed her by the waist, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck. They kissed one another lovingly, completely forgetting that their friends were also in the ocean. They pulled away smiling, before Gabriella's face fell.

"What's wrong love?"

"I just saw Taylor. I swear to god if looks could kill I'd be dead 5 times already." Troy sighed and pulled her closer.

"Just ignore her, she's just being stupid and immature." Gabriella just nodded. They kissed once again, and once they pulled away, Gabriella glanced behind Troy, only to see Taylor staring at them in disgust. "What is it babe?"

"Taylor is staring at us."

"Well if she wants to watch us, then we might as well give her a show." Gabriella smiled before he kissed her passionately. When they finally needed air, they pulled away and he placed his mouth at her ear. "Thank you for giving me an excuse to that." She couldn't help but giggle.

"Anything for you," she flirted and he smiled.

"I love you, you know that?" She smiled and nodded, before kissing him again.

"And just so you know, I like the caring, sweet, dedicated Troy much better than the cocky player."

"Like? I just pulled an I love you and that's all I get?" He joked leading her to giggle. She placed her forehead on his.

"I love you too," she smiled.

--

About an hour later, after a lot of flirting and making out in the ocean with Troy, as well as joking around with their friends, Gabriella walked out of Jessica's bathroom, for she had just changed out of her bathing suit.

"Oh my god! Can you believe what she is wearing?" Gabriella froze at the sound of her former friend's voice. She turned to see a bathroom door that was slightly open.

"I know!" A girl that Gabriella recognized as the girlfriend of Troy and Chad's friends, replied.

"It doesn't surprise me. She always needs to be the center of attention." Gabriella's jaw dropped and tears welled up in her eyes.

"I can so see that. I mean the Pucci dress with a matching bathing suit, and the brand new Balenciaga, I mean really? Who does she think she is?"

"I have no idea."

"I can't believe Troy bought her all that stuff." Taylor scoffed and a look of confusion came across Gabriella's face.

"Oh, I can. According to Chad, he's done this before. He cheated on his girlfriend and felt guilty about it, so he just bought her a bunch of nice stuff. I'm sure it's the same with Gabriella." Gabriella's entire body tensed and her heart sank to her stomach. "She's so naïve. I can't believe someone as smart as her could be that clueless." Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face. Not being able to take it anymore, she ran downstairs, and towards the door, not even noticing Troy, who followed her as soon as he caught sight of her.

"Gabriella!" At the sound of her name, she stopped running and turned around. Troy tensed up with worry as soon as he saw the tears streaming down her face. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Is it true Troy?" She asked through her sobs and he looked at her confused.

"Is what true?"

"That you only buy me nice things because you feel guilty for cheating on me!" Troy's jaw hit the floor.

"What?! Where the hell did you get that idea?"

"I overheard Taylor talking to Megan. Chad told her that you've done this before. When you cheated on your girlfriend!" Troy sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"It was a long time ago Gabriella," He started in a sad tone, and she choked out a sob. "But I promise you that I have never ever cheated on you, and I never would."

"How do I know that? Cause you bought me things?"

"No! Because I love you!"

"Well considering I am apparently naïve and clueless, I don't know if I should believe that."

"Did Taylor seriously say that about you?" Troy asked in shock. Gabriella just nodded. "Bella don't listen to a word she says. You can't."

"Well it's too late for that," she replied harshly before storming off. He watched in shock as Gabriella got the car keys from the valet that Brett had hired. It quickly turned into anger, and before he knew it, he had stormed into the house. His eyes filled with furry, he searched for Taylor. As soon as he saw her talking with a group of people, he rushed over, and didn't say a word to anyone else, instead just went right up to her.

"What the fuck is your problem?!" Everyone standing around his girlfriend's ex-best friend froze and looked at him in shock.

"What the fuck man?" Chad asked his best friend, standing up for his girlfriend.

"Shut up Chad!" Everyone practically jumped, extremely surprised at the fact that Troy had just yelled at his best friend. But before Chad could shoot a come back, Troy focused his attention back to Taylor. "Seriously, who the fuck do you think you are? Gabriella heard your little convo with Megan in the bathroom, and on top of the fact that she is hurt that you actually had to nerve to call her naïve and clueless, she now also thinks that I'm cheating on her. And you might think I am too, but the second you called my girlfriend a gold digging whore; me, Gabriella, and our relationship became none of your fucking business. Fine I admit it, I cheated on my last girlfriend, and yeah, I was guilty so I bought her stuff…" Troy suddenly stopped his tirade and turned to Chad, still furious.

"By the way, thanks for that man," he spat sarcastically. Before Chad could reply, Troy turned back to Taylor. "I did those things because at that point in my life I was a jackass and that's the only thing I knew how to fix things, even though it wasn't even a serious relationship. But guess what, I have never cheated on Gabriella and I never would. You might not believe me, but I don't give a shit, because I don't have to prove anything to you."

"So how do you explain the one thousand dollar dress? The three hundred dollar bathing suit? The two thousand dollar bag?" Taylor shot back.

"I fucking love her! Because she deserves nothing but the best there is out there! If you have a problem with me spoiling my girlfriend, then that is your issue. If you feel like that trashing Gabriella will make you feel better about yourself, then good for you, but guess what, jealousy is an ugly emotion and it will come back to haunt you."

"You think I'm jealous of Gabriella?" Taylor asked in disgust.

"I think you always have been. I know Gabriella was the popular girl in school, so let me guess, you were known as 'Gabriella's friend'. When you got a 98 on a test she got a 99. But then, you found Chad, who was a nice guy and treated you well, and Gabriella got together with me, who you thought of as a jackass and a guy who would treat her horribly. And for one moment there, you were on top, but then you saw how well things were going with me and Gabriella, you saw how well I treated her, and once again you felt that you were second best. And I get it, everyone gets jealous, but to the point where you wanna ruin your best friend's relationship? Are you fucking kidding me? I swear to god Taylor, if you do one more thing that puts my relationship with Gabriella in jeopardy, I will make your life a living hell." Finished with his rant, Troy turned to Chad, who was standing there in complete and utter shock, not only at the fact that Troy had yelled at his girlfriend, but at the fact that his girlfriend had said those things. "You know Chad, you've made some pretty big mistakes with relationships in the past, but this is by far your biggest. Now if you would all excuse me, I have to convince my girlfriend that I'm not a cheating asshole."

**Please Review!!! Drama!! Please don't hate me!! Don't worry, knowing me, it wont last long. I tried to make it seem like Gabriella really is down to earth even though she has all these things now, and I hope it worked. Sorry to all of you Taylor fans for making her a bitch in this story, but I couldn't really help myself. I was never a fan of the character, considering in every movie she does something that leads to something coming in between Troy and Gabriella. I find it very annoying. Anyway, I hope you don't mind that I didn't do a whole chapter based on Europe. I wanted to do a chapter that wasn't pure fluff, because there has been and is going to be plenty of that. **


	17. The Aftermath

**Dreams or Desire**

**A/N: Oh my god I love you guys! 51 reviews for one chapter! You are all amazing. I'm hoping I don't disappoint you with this chapter. Anyway, thanks so much!**

"Hi you've reached Gabriella, sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message and I will try to get back to you asap. Thanks! Bye!" Troy groaned and ended the call, knowing that the 5 messages he had already left were enough.

"Where could she be?" he mumbled to himself, as he climbed into his car, after checking to see if she was at her apartment. He'd already checked his house and called Maria, and she wasn't at either houses. He continued to think of places that she could be, until his eyes lit up. "Sharpay!" He immediately made a u-turn and made his way to Sharpay's apartment. As soon as he arrived, he sighed in relief. Out front was the Range Rover that they had driven to the party in, and the one that she left in, leaving Jordan to have to give him a ride home to pick up another car. Without hesitation he pulled up behind the car, and got out.

--

"Come on babe, there is a good chance he hasn't cheated on you," Sharpay said softly, trying to cheer up her friend who was currently sitting on the couch with tears streaming down her face.

"There is a reason for the saying once a cheater always a cheater," Gabriella replied sadly.

"Yeah, but that doesn't apply to every guy who has cheated before." Gabriella sighed and before she could reply, they heard a knock at the door. "I'm gonna get that, don't move." She nodded as Sharpay stood up and made her way out of the living room and to the door. She opened the door and immediately froze as she saw Troy standing in front of her. "Troy? What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to Gabriella. I know she's here. She wasn't at our house, her mom's, or the apartment, and I saw the car out front." Sharpay just sighed.

"Look Troy, I don't think that's a good idea. She's really upset and…"

"I know! And I wanna fix that! I swear to god I've never cheated on her Sharpay, and I need to prove that to her."

"She's pretty upset Troy, I think you just need to give her some time, let her calm down." Troy just nodded sadly.

"Ok, well can you at least tell her that I love her, that I would never do anything like that to her, I'm gonna do everything I can to prove that to her, and that I risked my relationship with my best friend since I was 4 by yelling at his girlfriend." Sharpay couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Yeah, I will."

"Thanks Sharpay." With that, a still sad Troy walked off, and Sharpay closed the door before going back to her friend.

"Who was that?" Gabriella asked as soon as Sharpay walked into the room.

"Troy." Gabriella's eyes went wide.

"What? What was he doing here?" she asked in shock.

"He's worried Gabs. He really loves you and he wants to make sure you know that."

"I do know that, but that doesn't mean…"

"Gabriella, he went to his house, your apartment, and your mom's house to try to find you. He told me that he is going to do everything he can to prove to you that he never cheated."

"How? It's not like he can buy me anything!" Gabriella exclaimed, clearly still very upset.

"Gabs, he yelled at Taylor. Taylor is his best friends girlfriend. He risked his relationship with his best friend of like 20 years for you," Sharpay replied and Gabriella froze.

"Really?" she asked in a small voice.

"Really."

--

Troy sighed and plopped down on his couch as he turned on the TV. He immediately turned it to ESPN, trying to distract himself from thinking about the events that had occurred that day. However, he couldn't help himself. It had started out so perfect, but was ruined in a span of 30 seconds. And not only had the day been ruined, but potentially his relationship as well.

"Troy!" Troy snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his best friend's voice. He turned around and immediately froze when he saw Chad walk into the living room.

"Hey man, what are you doing here?" He asked nervously.

"Don't worry man, I'm not mad," Chad replied, automatically hearing the fear in his friend's voice. Troy looked at him in shock, as he sat down.

"You're not?"

"At you, no. At Taylor, yes." Troy couldn't help but sigh.

"I'm sorry man, I didn't mean to come between you and your girlfriend, I was just so upset."

"Dude, I just told you I'm not mad. I'm actually glad you did what you did," he replied and Troy looked at him in confusion. "You really think I wanna be with a girl who says things like that? Who thinks my best friend is a complete asshole."

"So you broke up with her?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Well I'm still sorry man, I know you really liked her."

"Yeah, but what we had was not even close to what you and Gabriella have. And like I said, I don't wanna be with a girl who says things like that. So anyway, I'm sorry for telling her about Madison. We were just talking, I don't know how it came up, but I never thought that she would use it against you and Gabriella like that."

"I know man, it's okay." Chad just nodded.

"Anyway, have you talked to Gabs?" Troy shook his head sadly.

"I finally found her at Sharpay's house, but Sharpay wouldn't let me talk to her. She told me that I should give her some time."

"Well what are you gonna say when that time comes to an end?" Troy sighed and threw his head back.

"I have no idea. What can I say? That I'll take a lie detector test?"

"That isn't a bad idea actually." Troy turned to Chad and looked at him like he was a complete idiot. He just chuckled. "Well sometimes actions speak louder than words, maybe you could actually do something for her."

"Like what? It's not like I can buy her anything."

"You don't have to spend an absurd amount of money to show someone that you love them." Troy thought for a moment, trying to figure out if there was something that would make Chad right. All of a sudden it came to him, and his eyes lit up. "What?"

"Do you know where the closest tattoo parlor is?" Chad's jaw hit the floor.

"A tattoo, man? Are you insane, a tattoo lasts for forever!" Troy smiled widely.

"Yeah, that's the point."

"Even if you did get one, what would you get? I think people would figure it out if you tattooed her name on your body."

"Yeah, but they wouldn't figure it out if it was a nickname."

"What nickname? Gabi and Gabs would still make things pretty obvious man."

"No," he smiled. "Bella."

--

"Kelly Finglass, may I ask who's calling?"

"Hi Ms. Finglass, my name is Taylor, I'm Troy Bolton's ex-girlfriend." Kelly's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Hello Taylor, how can I help you?"

"I just thought you should know. One of your girls is having an affair with Troy."

**Please Review!!! I hope you liked it!!!**


	18. Hidden Love

**Dreams or Desire**

**A/N: Oh my god!! You guys are absolutely amazing. Like I can't even express how amazing your reviews have been. Thank you so so much. **

"Come on Gabs, you have to go home sometime…" Gabriella looked at her friend and sighed.

"Well technically it's not my home so…" She was cut of when Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Please Gabs, the only thing left in your apartment is the furniture." She looked down at her food, which had hardly been touched, and picked at it with her fork.

"I know. I just don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything Gabs, just listen to what he has to say. Then you will know what to say." Gabriella just nodded. Before she could say anything her phone rang. Although she didn't recognize the number that showed up on the screen of her iPhone, she picked it up anyway.

"Hello…oh, hi Kelly…" Sharpay looked at her in confusion and Gabriella just shrugged. "I'm good…what about you…umm okay…yeah…see you soon…okay, bye."

"What was that about?" Sharpay asked after Gabriella hung up the phone.

"I dunno, but she wants to see me in her office."

"Oh my god! Do you think she knows?"

"God, I hope not."

--

"Thank you for coming Gabriella, take a seat." Gabriella nodded nervously, and did as told.

"Umm, no problem. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, I got a call yesterday, from a girl named Taylor." Gabriella froze. She clenched her fists in anger and her heart pounded through her chest, scared out of her mind. "She told me she was Troy Bolton's ex-girlfriend." Gabriella's eyes narrowed in confusion. "I'm assuming this is the same girl that you told me about a few months back." Not knowing what to say or do, Gabriella just nodded her head. "She told me that he was dating one of our cheerleaders." Gabriella's jaw hit the floor, and she clenched the armrest tightly, so she would not freak out.

"Ohh…umm…wow," Gabriella replied in shock, not knowing what else to say.

"Yes, and I called you in here to ask you if you knew anything about the break up."

"May I ask why?"

"Well I have a feeling that if it wasn't necessarily a clean break up, this girl would do something to get back at Troy. So do you know anything about it? I know you are friends with her." Gabriella froze for a second, trying to come up with a legitimate and believable story that Kelly would believe.

"Umm…yeah. It was pretty messy. I wouldn't be surprised if she did something to get back at Troy."

"Ok, so you don't know anything about one of the girls dating Troy?" Not being able to verbally lie to Kelly, Gabriella just shook her head. "Ok, thank you Gabriella. That's all."

"Ok, bye."

--

Troy removed the bandage from his arm, and he couldn't help but smile. There on his right bicep was his girlfriend's nickname in fancy cursive letters. Knowing that it still needed to be covered up, he pressed the gauze back on the tattoo. Just as he did, he heard the front door slam, making him jump. Narrowing his eyes in confusion, he made his way downstairs, only to see a furious Gabriella storming into the house. He immediately rushed down the stairs.

"I'm so sorry baby…" he started.

"I'm gonna kill her!" She exclaimed, not caring about his apology, and he looked at her confused.

"Who?"

"Taylor! She called Kelly pretending to be your ex-girlfriend!" Troy's mouth hit the floor.

"She…what?"

"Yeah! And she told her that you were dating one of the cheerleaders!"

"Oh my god, does Kelly know?"

"No thank god! But she did call me into her office to ask me if I knew anything about the break up between you and your 'ex-girlfriend', because if the break up was messy then there was a chance that she did it out of spite."

"And what did you say?"

"What do you think I said? I told her that it was a messy break up and that I wouldn't be surprised if she did something to get back at you, and that I don't know anything about a cheerleader dating you. So I pretty much once again completely lied to the woman who made my dream come true!"

"I'm so sorry baby," he said sympathetically

"It's…" she started in a sad tone, but stopped when she caught sight of the bandage that was on her boyfriend's bicep.

"What?" he asked, wondering why her eyes had widened.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" She asked in a worried tone, placing her hand right below the bandage.

"No, I'm fine," he replied with a smile.

"Then what's with the bandage?"

"Take it off and see." She slowly removed the bandage and gasped when she saw her boyfriend's nickname for her tattoed on his bicep. She looked up at him in shock and he smiled. "What do you think?"

"Troy…I...what? Why?" He chuckled at her shocked manner.

"Because I love you and I wanted to do something that would prove to you that I would never ever cheat on you." She looked at him like he was crazy.

"A tattoo?! You thought that the best way to prove to me that you wouldn't cheat on me was to tattoo my name on your arm! Are you crazy? A tattoo lasts forever!"

"That's the point baby." Tears welled up in her eyes that were still looking at him in shock.

"You think we'll be together forever?"

"Well you never know what is going to happen in the future, but I sure as hell hope so." She smiled widely before throwing her arms around him.

"That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"Well you know I'd do anything for you baby." With that she kissed him lovingly. "And I'm so sorry about everything I was such an ass back then."

"Yeah you were, but it's okay. I know you wouldn't do that to me. I'm sorry for reacting the way I did. I should've never believed Taylor in the first place."

"It's okay, I completely understand." Gabriella just nodded.

One Week Later

"I'm so nervous!"

"Why? It's nothing we haven't done before," Sharpay said to one of she and Gabriella's teammates. It was the audition for the 2009-2010 season, and many of the girls were nervous, for it was common knowledge that veterans could be cut before training camp even began.

"Come on Shar, you have to be at least a little bit nervous," Gabriella said, looking at her friend with raised eyebrows.

"No, I'm f…" Sharpay started, but stopped when she saw Gabriella's wrist, which was wrapped with tape. "What happened to your wrist babe?" Gabriella looked down.

"Ummm…nothing…it's fine." Sharpay narrowed her eyebrows and Gabriella sighed. Without saying anything she grabbed Sharpay and dragged her to the bathroom.

"What is it?" Sharpay asked confused. Gabriella removed the tape and Sharpay gasped. On Gabriella's wrist was a tattoo of the number '14'. "Are you serious? Gabriella! A tattoo of your boyfriend's jersey number!"

"Well he got one of my name."

"Yeah and don't you think it's going to be a little suspicious when you show up with the number 14 on your wrist and he shows up with a name that resembles yours on his bicep?"

"Why do you think it is covered up? No one is going to find out."

"How do you know that?"

"Sharpay, I've been dating Troy Bolton for almost a year. I'm pretty good at hiding things."

"You what?!" Sharpay and Gabriella whipped their heads around and their eyes immediately widened.

**Please Review!!! Hahah cliffhanger!!! I hope you guys liked it. As for Kelly not figuring it out in the meeting, I already know how everything is going to be revealed and I came up with the plotline of Taylor telling Kelly after. Anyway, thanks again for all the amazing reviews.**


	19. Way Too Close

**Dreams or Desire**

Gabriella and Sharpay turned around to see Cassie, a fellow veteran Laker Girl standing there in shock. Gabriella quickly turned to Sharpay.

"I thought you locked the door!"

"I thought I did too," Sharpay defended and Gabriella rolled her eyes before turning to Cassie.

"Look, Cas, I can explain…"

"You lucky bitch!" The two girls looked at their teammate like she was insane. "How could you not tell me?" Both Gabriella and Sharpay let out a sigh of relief, which made Cassie laugh. "So…tell me everything! How long has this been going on?"

"Promise you won't tell anyone? Seriously Cassie, no one can know," Gabriella replied seriously, leading Cassie to roll her eyes.

"Come on Gabs, you really think I would do that to you?" Gabriella couldn't help but smile at her friend, knowing she was telling the truth. "Unless you don't tell me everything right now." Gabriella and Sharpay couldn't help but giggle.

"Well we met last year…" Gabriella was cut off when the door opened. They all whipped their heads to the door to see Kelly walk in. They immediately froze.

"Oh I'm sorry girls," their boss apologized sweetly, loosening them up a little bit. "The door was unlocked I assumed…"

"It's okay," Sharpay cut in with a smile on her face. "We were just leaving. Right girls?"

"Yeah," Cassie and Gabriella replied in unison with nervous smiles across their faces.

"Ok, well I will see you out there. Good luck girls."

"Thanks." They all then walked out, trying to be casual, even though they were all freaking out inside.

"Holy shit that was close," Gabriella said, still in shock.

"No kidding," Cassie agreed. "Good save Shar."

"Thanks. Maybe we shouldn't talk about this when we are around our boss and teammates."

"Yeah that would probably be a good idea," Gabriella replied.

"But that doesn't mean you are getting out of telling me everything!"

"I didn't think so."

--

"Why are there so many cars in the parking lot today?" Brett asked confused, as the team walked back into the locker room after one of their first practices of the season.

"Laker Girl auditions today," Troy replied easily.

"So that's why you were so tense today!" Jordan exclaimed like he had just discovered something groundbreaking. "You were nervous for Gabs!"

"Aww how cute," Luke mocked, leading the guys to laugh and Troy to glare at him.

"Who's Gabs?" Blake, a player that had been traded to the team during the off-season, asked.

"Bolton's super secret girlfriend," another teammate, Adam, informed the new member of the Laker squad.

"She's a Laker Girl, and if her crazy ass boss found out about them, she would be kicked off the team," Jordan added and Troy just shook his head annoyed.

"Wait, let me get this straight. There are hundreds of beautiful dancers wearing nothing but bootie shorts and sports bras like 200 feet from this room?" Trevor asked rhetorically.

"No, it's the final round, so only about eighty girls," Troy corrected.

"That's still a lot of girls," Trevor replied.

"A lot of fine girls," Jordan added. "I can't wait to see who's gonna be cheering us on."

"Why wait?" Luke asked and everyone looked at him confused, except for Jordan who just smiled, immediately catching onto what his best friend was thinking. As soon as Troy noticed Jordan's smile, he caught on.

"Are you guys crazy? Kelly will kill us!" Luke and Jordan rolled their eyes at their teammate.

"We can spy. And if she catches us, who gives a shit? What can she possibly do?" Luke asked with raised eyebrows.

"He's got a point," Trevor agreed.

"Come on man, Gabriella, bootie shorts, sports bra…" Jordan teased and Troy immediately tensed up as the image appeared in his head, leading Jordan to smirk.

"Fine."

--

Just dance, gonna be okay, da da doo-doo-mmm 

Just dance, spin that record babe, da da doo-doo-mmm 

Just dance, gonna be okay, d-d-d-dance

Dance, dance, just, j-j-just dance

The ten girls on the dance floor struck their final pose and everyone in the room applauded. Once the applause died down, the girls who had just performed in front of the judges, stood up straight.

"Great job l…"

"Fuck!" Everyone whipped their heads around to see Troy, Jordan, Luke, Adam, Brett, and Trevor stumble out from behind a wall that they had been hiding behind. The jaws of the girls who had never seen six players before, hit the ground, obviously star struck. The eyes of the veterans widened, shocked that the boys actually had the guts to watch the audition. Sharpay did everything she could not to laugh, Cassie raised her eyebrows amused, as did Maria, and Gabriella shook her head at the stupidity of her boyfriend and his friends. As for Kelly, she turned red with anger as the boys brushed themselves off before standing up, and looking out at all the people staring at them in shock. They looked at each other, and without a word rushed to the door.

"Not so fast boys." The six froze in place before turning around and looking at Kelly in shock. The director turned to the girls in front of her for a brief moment, and politely asked them to take a seat, before turning back to the boys. "Would you please come here?" The boys looked at each other confused, before slowly making their way to the dance floor as if they had just got called into the principal's office. Kelly stood up and walked out from the other side of the judges table, as the boys walked onto the floor.

"Take a good look girls…" Kelly started, looking out to the potential Laker Girls, in a stern tone. "Because this is the last time you will see these men outside of the Staples Center. Can you tell us why Mr. Ariza?"

"Because Lakers and Laker Girls aren't supposed to have any interaction with one another," he replied, a little frightened.

"Exactly. So may I ask why you are here?"

"Well we wanted to see who was going to be cheering us on next season," Jordan replied casually and she narrowed her eyes at him. At that moment, Troy looked to his girlfriend who just shook her head at him, leading him to smirk.

"Something amusing Mr. Bolton?" Kelly asked, folding her arms around her chest and raising her eyebrows. He immediately looked at her and froze, trying to come up with something as quickly as possible.

"Well technically we aren't interacting with them. The rules never state that we can't be in the same room as them." Kelly narrowed her eyes at the blue-eyed basketball player as Gabriella did everything she could to not slap her palm to her forehead and groan. Seeing the look on her daughter's face, Maria couldn't help but laugh to herself. Continuing to glare at him, Kelly walked over to Troy.

"Well considering the rumors I've heard about you and my girls…" That's all it took for Troy to freeze and turn white. "I think it might be a good idea to enact that rule. Don't you think Mr. Bolton?"

"Yes ma'am," he mumbled.

"Good. And just so you know, even though I have yet to find out what you have been doing with one of the girls, doesn't mean I'm not going to. I'd be careful if I were you." Troy just nodded fearfully as Gabriella's heart began to pound even harder. "Ok, now if you six aren't out of here, and I mean stat, I will personally make sure your coach makes sure that you run suicides until you can't walk for a week." Not needing any other motivation, the boys rushed out of the room. Kelly then turned to the girls and plastered one of her cheesy smiles on her face. "I apologize for that interruption. Let's continue."

--

"You're dead dude!" Jordan exclaimed as he swung the Wii controller like a tennis racket.

"In your fucking dreams," Troy shot back, swinging his own controller and hitting the ball back to the other side of the court.

"Are you guys insane!" Troy and Jordan froze, forgetting about their game and along with Luke, was sitting on the couch, turned to Gabriella who sure enough, was looking at them like they were insane.

"It was Luke's idea," Troy immediately defended, leading Luke to glare at him.

"I don't care whose idea it was! How stupid can you guys be?"

"Come on Gabs, is it a crime that we wanted to watch 80 girls wearing almost nothing," Jordan replied, which led Gabriella to raise her eyebrows at Troy, who glared at Jordan.

"That was them. I only decided to go when Jordan mentioned that you were going to be in bootie shorts and a sports bra." Gabriella just rolled her eyes.

"You guys are seriously retarded."

"Thanks babe."

--

"So there is something I need to give you, but I wanted to wait until Jordan and Luke left," Troy said as the two cleaned up after dinner, and she looked at him confused.

"What is it?" Troy picked up a big envelope from the counter and handed it to her.

"This came for you in the mail," he replied with a smile. Her eyes widened as she took the big envelope that read UCLA Medical School in the right hand corner. Without hesitation she ripped the envelope open and removed it's contents, before reading the letter that was on top multiple folders and papers. "Did you get in?" Gabriella looked up and smiled before nodding. "Congratulations baby! I'm so proud of you!" He exclaimed wrapping his arm around her and kissing the side of her head.

"Thanks," she mumbled, her face falling. He looked down at her confused.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't get any financial aid," she replied sadly. "Which means I can't be a Laker Girl anymore."

"What? Why?" Troy asked frantically.

"I get paid a little over 2,00 dollars a year, if I want to go to med school I have to get a job that actually pays a decent salary."

"That's not true. You can get loans or I…"

"Don't even think about it, you're not my sugar daddy," she interrupted sternly.

"But I want you on the baseline cheering for me, and I don't want you to have to give up something you love," he defended.

"And I don't want to give it up either, but I can't let you do that Troy. As sweet as it is, I just can't Troy."

"Ok."

--

"To Gabriella, who will soon be a student at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine," Maria toasted to her daughter as they sat down with their respective significant others. Once Gabriella called Maria to tell her the good news, she insisted on having a celebratory dinner.

"Thanks mom," Gabriella replied after they all clinked their glasses together and took a sip of their drinks.

"You're welcome sweetie, I'm so proud of you. We all are." Gabriella smiled but before she could reply, the doorbell rang.

"Were you expecting someone?" Craig asked Maria, confused.

"No," she replied with the same perplexed expression.

"Hello? Maria!!" They all froze and their eyes widened at the sound of Kelly's voice.

"What is she doing here!" Gabriella exclaimed in a hushed tone, frantically.

"Crap! I totally forgot we were supposed to go over the training camp candidates tonight!"

"Well what are we going to do?!" Troy exclaimed in the same frantic tone.

"I'll go distract her, find a place to hide!" With that they all scrambled up out of their seats. Maria rushed to the main entry hall, as Troy ran around the kitchen trying to find a place to hide and Craig and Gabriella cleared his place setting, hiding it behind the coffee machine.

"Yes, of course you can say congratulations," they heard Maria say loudly, obviously to warn them. "She's in the kitchen."

"The pantry!" Gabriella exclaimed. Troy ran into the pantry and closed the doors as Craig and Gabriella ran back to their seats. Just as they sat down Kelly and Maria walked in. Maria did everything she possibly could do to not let out a massive sigh of relief when she saw that Troy was no longer in sight.

"Gabi! Congratulations!" Kelly automatically exclaimed, opening her arms. A fake smile spread across her face, and with her heart pounding, she hugged Kelly.

"Thank you."

"So when did you find out?"

"Last night," Gabriella replied quickly, trying to get the conversation over as quickly as possible.

"Anyway, I would ask you to stay, but there is no food left," Maria said, also wanting to get Kelly out of there as soon as possible.

"Oh it's alright, I already ate anyway, so I'll let you guys get back to your dinner." They all smiled and said their goodbyes, before Maria walked Kelly out.

"Coast is clear," she announced as she walked back into the kitchen and Troy walked out of the pantry.

"That was way too close," Gabriella sighed.

"Yeah."

**Please Review!!! Sorry it took a little longer than usual but I had some writer's block. Only a few chapters left!!! : (**


	20. Coming Home

**Dreams or Desire**

The Laker Girls flooded into the locker room all buzzing about their first game of the season in which the Lakers won. The rookies could not stop talking about how amazing it was to finally be able to cheer on the Lakers and the veterans were just happy to be back.

"Oh my god! Troy is so fucking fine!" Gabriella froze and turned to see one of the rookies talking with three other girls. She turned to Sharpay, who had obviously also heard. Sharpay just gave her a look, signaling to her that it wasn't a big deal. "And I swear to god he smiled at me!" Gabriella's eyes widened and she looked at her friend who now had the same expression across her face, before turning back to the gossiping rookies. It would have been once thing if the girl had been sitting next to Gabriella, but she was on the opposite side of the court.

"Oh my god you lucky bitch!" Another rookie exclaimed, jealous of her friend. Sharpay scoffed and the three girls looked at her confused, as did Gabriella.

"You have no idea what you are talking about." Gabriella couldn't help but smile at the fact that her best friend was defending her.

"How would you know, you were on the other side of the court," the rookie shot back with attitude.

"Because number 1, he has a girlfriend, and number 2, even if he wasn't taken, Troy isn't stupid, he knows that Kelly is watching so if he wanted you, what makes you think he would have eye sex with you in the middle of the game? I don't know if you are just trying to look cool, but you actually look like even more of a loser," Sharpay shot back ruthlessly.

"You're just jealous, he was looking at me, get over it," the girl shot back, which made Gabriella tense up a little bit.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I am…"

"Attention girls!" They froze and turned to see that Kelly had walked into the locker room.

"Don't worry about it babe. She's full of shit," Sharpay said reassuringly, however Gabriella wasn't 100% she was.

--

"He baby! How great was that game!" Gabriella turned around from where she was standing in the kitchen, and smiled slightly.

"Yeah, you did great," she replied softly and his face fell.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately.

"Nothing," she replied a little too quickly and he gave her a look, leading her to side.

"Did you happen to notice a girl on the away side of the court? Really pretty. Red hair?" A look of confusion came across his face.

"I saw her but I didn't notice her specifically…" At this Gabriella bowed her head. "Why?"

"She said you smiled at her," she replied, still looking down. He sighed and walked up to her, before placing a finger under her chin and pushing it up so he could look her in the eyes.

"Whoever she is, she is full of shit."

"That's what Sharpay said."

"Sharpay is right. I only have eyes for you." Gabriella couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Ok. I'm sorry for doubting you."

"Don't worry about it love. Just remember, you are the one I come home to every night." Gabriella reached up and kissed him, knowing he was telling the truth.

5 MONTHS LATER

"I know it was a rough rehearsal, but for those of you who don't know this is just how it is when playoffs come around. Maria has the playoff schedule for you, I know it is intense but...well...you will just have to deal with it." All the girls nodded nervously before making their way to their choreographer.

"Is she insane?! It wasn't as bad as this last year!" Sharpay said in shock as she and Gabriella made their way to their cars.

"I know! If they go to seven games the only day off we have is after Game 1."

"Shit we have 4 hour rehearsals on their away games!" Sharpay exclaimed and Gabriella's jaw dropped.

"Fuck! I guess I'll have to check the score from my phone or else I won't be able to text him at halftime!"

"Aww you two are so cute!" Sharpay cooed, breaking out of her shocked state, and Gabriella rolled her eyes just as they arrived at their cars. "Say hi to lover boy for me." Gabriella just shook her head before getting into the car."

--

"Why the fuck did I shoot that?" Troy asked himself as he sat in the living room watching tape of the most recent game.

"I asked myself the same question." Troy paused the game before turning to his girlfriend, who was walking towards the couch.

"Hey babe, how was rehearsal?"

"Ok," she mumbled and a worried look came across his face.

"What happened?" she sighed and sat next to him before handing him a piece of paper. He took it confused.

"Your schedule?" he asked rhetorically after reading the top. She nodded as he draped his arm over her shoulders. "Jesus Christ this is worse than ours!"

"I'm not surprised. My life would be so much easier if you didn't make the playoffs. It's all your fault." Knowing she wasn't serious, Troy chuckled.

"I'm sorry babe."

"Its okay," she mumbled. He placed the paper down and pulled her closer before kissing the top of her head.

"You know what else playoffs mean, right?"

"I have to start thinking about next year."

"Yep. Have you thought about it at all?" Gabriella nodded against his chest. "And?"

"I wanna know what you think."

"I think there are pros and cons to each decision. I'd love to be able to go out in public with you, but I love seeing you on the baseline. It's completely your decision, and whatever you decide to do I will completely support you. No matter what, you will still be coming home to me."

"Ok, well I'm definitely leaning to one side."

"And what side would that be?"

"I think I wanna choose my dream."

**Please Review!!! Sorry for the cliffhanger but I had to leave it there! What will this mean for Troy and Gabriella? ****I know it is a little short and it took me a little longer to update but I hope you like it anyway!! Next up…Gabriella's decision! Only one more chapter and then the epilogue!!**


	21. My Dream

**Dreams or Desire**

"So in the event that we win tonight…" Kelly started, as the girls sat around the locker room before Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The Lakers were leading the Cavaliers, 3 games to 2, therefore if the Lakers won that night, they would win the whole thing. "Things will get very crazy. The press will rush the court, and it can get very dangerous. You are to just stay in your normal spots at the baseline. When things calm down, I will give you the go ahead, and you will take your spots one the perimeter of the court, just like you would after a normal win. Okay?" All the girls immediately replied with positive answers. "For some of you this is your last game as a Laker Girl, so make it count." The girls all smiled, and the few that already knew that they wouldn't be returning the next year looked at each other sadly.

Gabriella looked at Sharpay with a wide smile. She giggled, and bounced up and down excited. Sharpay just laughed at her friend, being the only one that knew that Gabriella wasn't excited about the fact that the team that they cheered for was about to win the NBA Finals, but the fact that her boyfriend was 2 minutes from becoming a national champion. Just then the Lakers ran down to the side of the court that Gabriella was sitting on. After passing it around a few times, Brett shot the ball and it easily went in. All the girls stood up and cheered, and as Gabriella did so she caught her boyfriend's eye and he smiled. She then giggled and he laughed at her excited manner, even though he was just as excited as she was.

Before they knew it, a few moments later, the entire stadium was counting down from 10. The 5 players on the court were smiling widely and the guys on the bench were jumping up and down, while the cheerleaders held on to each other tightly in anticipation. Just then the buzzer went off. Every single fan, cheerleader, and Laker, screamed and jumped up in the air. The players and coaches flooded the court and photographers and cameramen surrounded them, trying to capture the celebration.

"We won!!! We won! We won!" Gabriella exclaimed jumping up and down, tears of joy welling up in her eyes.

"I know!" Sharpay replied, jumping as well. "Oh my god Gab, are you crying?" Gabriella nodded, and tried to wipe her tears away before they streamed down her face.

"I'm just so proud of him."

"Awww," Sharpay gushed, before hugging her friend. As they hugged tightly, Sharpay looked over her friend's shoulder and her eyes widened. "Gabi?"

"Yeah?"

"Turn around." Confused, Gabriella pulled out of the hug and turned to see her boyfriend making his way towards her, but having trouble doing so, considering he was surrounded by photographers. With a wide smile, she turned to Sharpay, who just smiled back and nodded. Gabriella giggled, before making her way onto the court, attracting the attention of all the cheerleaders. So excited, Gabriella couldn't help but walk with a skip in her step, which made Troy just smile wider. Just as Troy broke through the photographers, his girlfriend finally reached him. Without hesitation, she squealed and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, leading to many gasps and camera flashes. It didn't take one thought for Troy to press his lips to hers, and kiss her with all the passion in the world. Not caring about the 20,000 people watching, she kissed him back without hesitation, and it wasn't until he felt the tears streaming down her face that he pulled away.

"Why are you crying baby?" He asked with worry.

"I'm just so happy. And so proud of you." He chuckled and wiped her tears away.

"Thank you baby. I couldn't have done it without you." She giggled before hugging him tight.

"Do I even wanna know what the expressions on my teammates faces are?" He looked over her shoulder at the girls whose jaws were at the floor, and whom were mumbling to each other in shock.

"Probably not, but who cares what they think." Gabriella turned around and couldn't help but giggle at their reactions.

Meanwhile…

Kelly turned to her friend and choreographer of 20 years, shocked at the fact that one of her best and most promising cheerleaders had just revealed that she had broken the cardinal rule.

"Did your daughter just kiss with Troy Bolton?" She asked Maria in disgust. Maria, who was surprised that her daughter and boyfriend had just exposed their forbidden relationship in front of 20,000 people, turned to Kelly.

"Seems so," she replied amused.

"And you don't have any prob…" Kelly started in shock. However, a realization came over her and her eyes widened. "Oh my god! You knew!" Maria sighed and did everything she could to not roll her eyes.

"I always said I was a mother first Kelly. What kind of mother would I be if I forbid my daughter for dating the first guy she has truly cared about, and the one who treats her better than any guy ever has?"

-

Troy finally put Gabriella down, before leading her to center court, where the rest of the team was celebrating. As they did someone handed Troy a National Champion shirt and hat.

"Can she get one too?" The guy nodded before handing him another one. Gabriella slipped the shirt on, and Troy couldn't help but smile widely as he placed the hat on her head. It covered her entire uniform, and in his opinion she had never looked so sexy.

"Gabs!" Jordan exclaimed once they met at center court.

"Jordy!" she replied with the same enthusiasm before giving him a massive hug, in which he lifted her off the ground.

About twenty minutes later, when the celebration died down, the whole team gathered on a platform for the trophy presentation. Gabriella watched on with a big smile on her face, standing next to Jess, Rebecca, Jack, Lucille, and Chloe, who had come down from Albuquerque for the Finals. Troy was holding Michael on the stage, for multiple players were also holding children, however they were most likely their sons or daughters. Gabriella's heart couldn't help but melt as she saw tears well up in Jack's eyes as his son lifted the trophy over his head, after putting down Michael. Once the ceremony was over, in which Troy also won the final's MVP, the team cut down the net and then made their way back to their families and friends.

"Ok, I have to go back to the locker room. I'll see you guys back home?" They all replied with positive answers, before saying their goodbyes. Just as Gabriella was about to say her goodbye, he stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?" Gabriella looked at him confused.

"You said you are going back to the locker room. The champagne celebration is only for the team."

"Says who? I just talked to Jordan and Brett, Jessica and Rebecca are joining in." Gabriella giggled and smiled.

"Ok." He smiled and kissed her lightly, before taking her hand and leading her off the court. As soon as he made his way to the tunnel, security surrounded he and Gabriella, to protect them from the excited fans. However, this didn't stop Troy from high-fiving multiple fans. The two made their way to the locker room and as soon as they entered, they saw that the celebration was already under way. They couldn't help but laugh as Jordan immediately sprayed them with champagne. They were then handed a bottle.

"Go," Gabriella immediately ordered, wanting him to enjoy the moment with his teammates and coaches. He smiled before opening the bottle and spraying his team members. Gabriella smiled at how happy her boyfriend looked, before making her way over to Rebecca and Jessica, who were standing on a bench, spraying the champagne over the guys and each other. A few minutes later, Troy made his way to Gabriella. She giggled and squealed as he sprayed her with champagne.

"Open wide," she ordered and he opened his mouth and tilted his head back. She placed the bottle over his lips and pouring it down his throat.

"Oh I'm so next!" Luke exclaimed after Troy swallowed the champagne, which made them laugh. He got into the same position as Troy had moments before, and Gabriella repeated the action. Just as she did so, Rebecca did the same to Jordan.

"Damn that tastes good!" The girls laughed and before they knew it, the pouring of the champagne had become their job.

"Party at my house!" Troy exclaimed once things had died down a little bit and everyone cheered. Even after a tough game the guys were so high on adrenaline, they all knew that they weren't going to be tired anytime soon.

"I'm gonna go back to the locker room to change and grab my stuff," Gabriella informed Troy once the celebration was over.

"Okay, meet me in the parking lot." She nodded and they shared a loving kiss, before she walked out. As Gabriella made her way to the Laker Girl locker room, even though she was cold and sticky from the champagne that was she was soaking wet with, she could not take a smile off of her face. That is until she walked into the room to see it completely empty, except for Kelly, who was sitting on the bench. Once Gabriella walked in she looked up, clearly not happy and obviously very disappointed.

"Out of all the girls Gabriella…" she started, leading Gabriella to sigh. "I never expected this from you."

"Well all I can say Kelly is that I fell in love. I tried to fight it because I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't. I never meant any disrespect to you or the program, and I'm sorry if you feel that I did. I broke your rule, and I'm sorry, but at the same time, dating Troy never effected my performance, so in the end, as long as I know that I did what was asked of me, I really don't think I did anything wrong."

"You lied to me Gabriella! Multiple times!"

"What do you expect Kelly? Anyone in my position would have done the same thing. I did it because I loved being a Laker Girl, and I didn't want to give that up."

"Then why did you just make out with a player in front of 20,000 people, and most likely on national television?"

"At one point being a Laker Girl was all I ever wanted. So I had to make a decision. At first I chose my dream, but then I saw a different side of Troy, who was so sweet and caring, and the most amazing guy. I was lucky because I was able to choose both. But to answer your question, it was because I needed to make a decision. And I realized if I didn't decide to pursue my dream, I would be insane. So I did, but this time around I wasn't dreaming of being a Laker Girl for another year, I was dreaming of living a normal life with the person I love." Kelly just looked at her in shock. "I truly am thankful for everything you've done for me, but my relationship with Troy is much more important than this. I'm sorry." Not knowing what else to say, Kelly just nodded. Gabriella grabbed her bag and made her way towards the door. As soon as she reached it, she turned around to Kelly. "And just so you know, this has been one of the most amazing experiences ever. And even though I choose Troy, it doesn't mean that I won't miss it. Thanks for making one of my dreams come true." Gabriella gave her a small smile before walking out. As soon as she closed the door, she stopped and took a deep breath. One tear streamed down her face, realizing for the first time that her career as a Laker Girl was actually over. She quickly wiped it away and a smile graced her face, knowing she had made the right decision.


	22. The Right Decision

**Dreams and Desire**

"Dada!!!" Two year old Natalia exclaimed happily as Troy walked into the kitchen after practice. As she usually did when she saw her father, she extended her arms, and he immediately scooped her up into his arms.

"Hey princess," he replied playfully, before making his way to his wife.

"How was practice?" Gabriella asked before they gave one another a quick kiss.

"Good. Intense, but good." She nodded and he made his way to the four year old who was drawing at the kitchen table.

"Hey sweetie," he greeted kissing the top of her head. "What'cha drawing?"

"It's a supwise!" Daniela exclaimed, covering up the piece of paper.

"Ok, well I can't wait to see it," he replied with a smile. It was definitely safe to say that many things had changed in the Bolton household over the past four years. No longer did video game consoles lie on the living room floor, dolls and toys that could amuse a toddler for hours. The shelf where many video games once rested now held every animated Barbie and Disney princess movie that existed. Little gates were at the top of every staircase, glasses had been replaced with sippy cups, stools replaced with high chairs. And Troy wouldn't have it any other way. To this day he didn't know how he reacted the way he did when Gabriella told him that she was pregnant with Daniela.

_Troy walked through the concourse of the Staples Center aimlessly, practically kicking himself. His girlfriend of 4 years had informed him that she was pregnant, only a few hours prior. It was safe to say that his reaction wasn't exactly an ideal one. He wasn't angry, just shocked. It was completely unexpected, considering Gabriella was on birth control, but as it turned out, the antibiotics Gabriella had been on for a case of strep throat, made the birth control ineffective. And although Gabriella was the love of his life, his everything, and didn't want any other woman to have his children, he had never thought of having a child out of wedlock. Not that there was anything wrong with it, he had just always imagined it happening after at least a couple years of marriage. The worst part about the whole thing was the fact that his reaction had hurt Gabriella. She didn't show it, but he knew. He finally stopped walking and leaned against the wall, before groaning and threw his head back. After a few moments of repeatedly telling himself that we was a complete idiot, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. As he did, he realized that he was in front of the store that carried merchandise for every team that played in the Staples Center, and it was only a few seconds before a specific item caught his eye. He didn't think they made jerseys with his number that were smaller than the one that Gabriella had worn to multiple charity events during her time as a Laker Girl, but it turned out they did. For infants. At the sight of the jersey, all Troy could do was smile. He finally took his eyes off of the miniscule jersey to see a Staples Center employee walking down the hall. _

"_Hey Brian…"_

"_Yes, Mr. Bolton?" _

"_Is there anyway someone can open the store for me?"_

"_Of course." _

_A Few Hours Later_

"_He didn't really know what to say," Gabriella told her best friend. "He kind of rushed out."_

"_Well at least he wasn't angry. I mean of course he was in shock, it's not like you guys planned this," Sharpay replied through the phone. _

"_Yeah I guess, it's just…" Gabriella started, but was cut off when Troy walked into their bedroom. "Shar? Can I call you back…ok…love you bye." She hung up the phone and looked at Troy nervously. "Troy…"_

"_I have a surprise," he interrupted with a smile on his face and she looked at him confused. _

"_What?"_

"_Well as it turns out, they make my jersey smaller than the little one you used to wear," he replied, revealing the miniscule jersey that was made for infants. Her eyes immediately lit up._

"_You mean…"_

"_Yes baby, and I'm so sorry I reacted the way I did before, I was just surprised," he explained as he sat down on the side of the bed. _

"_It's okay," she smiled, leading him to smile back, before kissing her lightly. Before anything else could happen, Troy pulled away, and climbed all the way onto the bed. He moved down so he was lying on top of her legs and his head was at her stomach. She giggled as he lifted her shirt up and stroked her stomach lightly. _

"_So from what I remember when my mom was pregnant with Mikey, for the next 9 months saying no to you is a death wish, and I must cure every single craving you have, no matter how gross it is." Gabriella shot him a cheeky smile. _

"_Yep." _

The two girls were his princesses and without a doubt his biggest weakness. Gabriella had hoped that he wouldn't spoil the girls rotten like he did her, but after Troy came home with a custom made one hundred dollar teddy bear during her first pregnancy, she knew that there was no chance of that happening. And even though Gabriella narrowed her eyes at Troy every time he gave one of the girls something they didn't need, she knew that the only time he would probably say no to him was when they would finally ask him if they could go on a date. Daniela was already figuring out that if she wanted something, she should go to her Dad.

"So what's for dinner?" Troy asked as wife as he put his gym bag away, without putting down Natalia, knowing that she wouldn't be happy about that, considering she was a definite daddy's girl.

"I was thinking spaghetti and meatballs," she replied.

"Sounds perfect." Between the 21 million dollar salary, the Beverly Hills mansion, the five luxury cars, Gabriella's designer clothes, and the 5-carat canary diamond that rested on her finger, many would think that they would have a fully staffed household, however besides one housekeeper, it was the complete opposite. Considering Gabriella was a stay at home mom, it was not necessary. She got pregnant with Daniela her second semester of her second year of med school, and just planned to take the next fall semester off. However, considering she was fortunate enough to have a significant other who made enough money to support a small third world country, let alone a family, she decided to be a stay at home mom, and she never regretted that decision.

--

"So you said practice was intense. What happened?" Gabriella asked her husband as they got ready for bed that night.

"You know, just getting ready for playoffs. You know how it is."

"Yes, and I don't miss it," she replied and he chuckled.

"Oh, you loved those intense rehearsals where Kelly worked you so hard that I would practically have to carry you up the stairs," he said in a teasing manner.

"Trust me, I was there yesterday. I don't," she replied seriously. "I mean I love Kelly, but that woman is one crazy bitch." Troy just laughed.

_Gabriella ran her fingers over the locker that had held her Laker Girl uniform for two years, as she began to get flashbacks of the day where she stood in front of it for the first time, exactly 3 years earlier. _

"_Having second thoughts?" Gabriella whipped her head around to see Kelly walking into the room. She immediately froze. _

"_Kelly…I'm sorry…I was just…" Kelly shook her head, cutting her off. _

"_Don't worry about it." Gabriella just nodded. "So?" _

"_No, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it and that it wasn't hard spending Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights sitting at home." It was Kelly's turn to nod as she approached Gabriella. _

"_You know Gabriella, this past summer, I spent a lot of time thinking about what happened. And I owe you an apology." Gabriella's eyes widened, however Kelly didn't react to it, she just continued. "But first there is something you should know." _

"_What?" Gabriella asked confused. Kelly sighed and sat down on one of the benches, leading Gabriella to sit on one that was a few feet away from her. Kelly took a deep breath._

"_When I was a cheerleader we didn't have the rule. Dating them definitely wasn't encouraged, but you couldn't get in trouble for it. Anyway, in my fourth year a guy named TJ Griffin joined the team. He had been traded. Was a superstar. When he joined everyone said the Lakers would finally have a chance to win a championship." Although extremely shocked, knowing where Kelly was going with this, she couldn't help but smile at the dreamy look on Kelly's face. "I knew I wanted him the second I saw him. It wasn't until our first charity event that I actually got to talk to him, but as it turned out it was worth the wait. It was a complete whirlwind romance. He was sweet, romantic, funny. I had never been so happy. He would smile at me after he made a big shot, and I remember feeling so special. I had the guy that all the girls wanted. We were together for almost five months, until he pulled me aside before a game and broke up with me." Gabriella's heart sank at the sad tone of her former boss._

"_Why?" she asked softly. _

"_He had met some supermodel at a club one night. I found out later that he had been cheating on me with her for almost a month. She ended up finding out about me and made him choose. Anyway, I was absolutely heartbroken. It hurt so much to look at him that I actually faked sick so I wouldn't have to go to the games and see him." Gabriella's eyes widened at this, knowing that if there was one person that loved being a Laker Girl it was Kelly. "So when the season came to an end I decided I was done being a Laker Girl. Just because it hurt too much."_

"_Do you regret it?"_

"_More than anything. Which is why I made the rule. I knew if I didn't, there was a chance that what happened to me could happen to my girls. I couldn't let them make the same mistake I did."_

"_Wow…" Gabriella said in shock, not knowing how else to respond. _

"_Yeah," Kelly sighed. "So I'm sorry for getting so upset with you. Truthfully, I think part of me was a little jealous."_

"_It's okay," Gabriella replied with a slight smile and Kelly nodded. _

"_And if it means everything, I went back and forth on whether I should let you audition again, but in the end you broke the rules and…"_

"_I know, and it does mean something. It means a lot." Kelly couldn't help but smile. _

"_You were a great performer Gabriella, and if you ever want to come help out or anything just give me a call." Gabriella smiled widely. _

"_I'd like that." _

Ever since then Gabriella had still been involved with the program. At the beginning she went to many rehearsals, helping the girls perfect their moves and with choreography, but because of Daniela and Natalia she only went occasionally.

"Whatever you say babe, whatever you say."

--

"Timeout!" Stan Van Gundy, the coach of the Orlando Magic exclaimed. The ref blew his whistle, and both teams began to make their way to the benches. Troy at down, wanting to take a breather as his coach talked to a few other players.

"Hey." He looked to Jordan who had just nudged him. "Daddy for MVP." Troy turned around to see his wife and two daughters. Gabriella and Daniela were both holding decorated yellow signs that read 'Daddy for MVP'. He smiled widely.

"Who cares if you get it. It seems like you already have."

"Thats for sure."

Gabriella smiled at we husband as he blew her a kiss. She was about to do the same to him, but music began to blast through the arena's speakers. The Laker Girls ran onto the court, before taking their spots. As they began to dance Gabriella felt a small tug on her heart. As much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, she did miss the feeling of dancing on that court.

"Mommy!" Gabriella snapped out of we thoughts and looked down at her daughter. "Are we winning?"

"Yes!" she smiled.

"Yay!" Gabriella couldn't help but laugh. She then looked at Natalia, who was in Sharpay's arms, before looking down at her wedding ring. At that moment she knew that no matter what the future held, she had made the right decision.

**The End!!! I hope you liked it!! Thanks for all the great reviews and to my loyal readers. Because you are so amazing, not only will I be doing a sequel to I Know What It's Like, but I am also starting a new story. I'm not positive as to what the title will be, but here is a preview so you will recognize it when you see it. It is definitely the darkest story I've ever written. **

**He thought things would be easy. She was just that perfect. And he was head over heels for her. He felt for her things that he had never felt for his ex-girlfriend, whom he had dated for almost four years. However, behind the beauty, talent, sweetness, and modesty, Gabriella Montez was not the girl Troy Bolton thought she was. What happens when he discovers this? Will it ruin everything or just make them closer? **

**I hope you like it!! If you have any title ideas let me know!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey everyone!**

**Now I hate Author's Notes as much if not more as everyone else, but this one was important to me. So for a while I have been thinking about rewriting this story. I have written down and come up with a lot of ideas, but they are all just kind of snippets and are completely disorganized in one big massive document. I also am a little too lazy to redo the entire thing. So I have decided I am going to use a bunch of them and put them in a new story which is completely different, but still has the theme of Dreams and Desire. Pretty much what I am trying to say is that I think if you liked Dreams or Desire, you will like Amateur Heiress, and it would mean a lot if you could at least give it a chance. Thanks so much! **

**Em**


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